Today, we're pleased to share with you an audio essay written and read by Uche Anasor, entitled,

Excited About Christmas, Less So About Christ.

Uche is the author of Overcoming Apathy, Gospel Hope for Those Who Struggle to Care from Crossway.

Excited about Christmas, less so about Christ.

Apathetic toward Christ.

When I was a kid, I loved Christmas for more than just the presents that awaited me,

though that was a huge part of my excitement.

I loved the songs on the radio and our family record player. I love the anticipation

of snow on Christmas morning. I loved watching all the typical Christmas TV shows, Frosty the

Snowman, Rudolph, and every sitcom's Christmas episode. Christmas was the season, a month or so of pure

bliss. I'm in my late 40s, and yet Christmas is as magical to me now

as it was when I was a child. It is hands down my favorite time of year. But as an adult, and now as a

Christian, it's not the presents that excite me, nor is it the Christmas entertainment, though

I'm certainly not opposed to either. Instead,

it's Christian Christmas music, quiet nights reading with Advent candles burning in the background,

and reading Advent storybooks or devotionals as a family. Ultimately, I think what I look forward to

most as a child and now as an adult is the feeling of Christmas.

Yet, if I'm honest, this feeling that I long for is sometimes only loosely related to Jesus.

While Jesus is often mentioned in the songs and the readings, he is too often not the source of the feeling.

I don't think I'm alone in this experience.

As Christians, we sometimes find ourselves excited about Christian things, but surprisingly

indifferent to Christ.

...