For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. – Isaiah 53:2-5

Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, his entry into the world was predicted by Isaiah. We who celebrate Christmas, focusing on our exquisitely decorated trees, our lavish presents, enough food to feed our local community, and perhaps even our yearly trip to a church service are not exactly what Jesus had in mind when he entered this sin-filled world.

He came to be what we need to glorify Him. Perhaps that’s why the details of his birth are what really matter during this holiday season.

Christ was not born under a beautifully decorated tree near a fireplace but in a feeding trough. The first smells to enter his nostrils were not cinnamon potpourri or a freshly roasted turkey but animal manure. He came not to receive gifts but to be our gift, yet we seem to ignore that as we spend hours preparing a feast (that is devoured in 30 minutes) or go into credit card debt for gifts people probably don’t even need.

We forget Jesus’ importance.

We forget how he suffered for us.

And suffer he did. Matthew 20:28 tells us that Jesus came to serve. He did that by rescuing us from ourselves, from our sins, starting at his birth.

Jesus willingly left Heaven to come to earth, not to live in a palace, tended to by servants, but to live as we would never choose to live, to pay the penalty for our sins and offer us freedom and peace and eternity with him in Heaven.

Jesus did not show up for a celebration. He chose to suffer to be our savior.

So, on whom do we focus when we revel in the gift side of Christmas?

God loves when we serve, not just at Christmas but daily, and He provides those opportunities in some crazy, simple ways.

Yesterday, for example, Dave and I were driving home from church when we noticed an elderly man on a side street, struggling to catch his dog. The more the man limped toward the dog, the further the animal ran from him. As we passed the street, I told Dave that I thought we should turn around and see if we could help.

By that time, the old man had given up and was headed back up the road, clearly struggling to walk. His runaway pooch was at the end of the street, which is where I got out of the car and yelled, asking the man if this was his dog. It was. The closer I walked toward the animal, the more it retreated, then stopped, waiting for me to move towards it, ultimately ending up beside the man who thanked us over and over.

I said, “Merry Christmas,” and we left. Such a simple thing.

I pray that this Christmas, our celebration of what Jesus willingly did for us will become a festival of overflowing joy, not so we get caught up in all the worldly acts of craziness surrounding it but so we can pass on to others our gifts of service. Our way of honoring our King.