What was a favorite Christmas memory growing up in the Payne household? 

So many memories! I loved our tradition of starting our nativity characters at various places in the house and gradually moving them toward the manger each day as Christmas approached. (I think we did our best to bring the ‘wise men’ from the east and Mary and Joseph and their donkey from the north, as our house orientation would permit!). We also read the birth narrative from Luke 2 on Christmas morning. (And we had cinnamon rolls.) 

What’s a favorite Christmas tradition your family has now? 

We purchase a real Christmas tree early in December and it remains up, lit and decorated, for the whole season. Then we store the tree in our yard until Easter, when we trim the branches and cut the trunk to fashion it into the shape of a cross, which we use as part of our Easter decorations. It’s a simple way of reminding ourselves of the connection between Christmas and Easter, of the manger and the cross. Christ came to die for our sins.  

What’s one thing you think Christians miss or misunderstand about the Christmas season? 

We are all prone to turn Christmas into a celebration of emotional nostalgia–and neglect meditation on the fathomless glory and grace of the incarnation. There is no secret trick to growing in our affection for the Lord Jesus–we need to meditate on Scripture’s testimony about Christ until our hearts are set aflame again in awe and worship. 

What’s one hope you have for your church during the Christmas season? 

I hope that Christian fathers will take leadership initiative to study the incarnation and the wonder of the gospel with their children. Those moments of family worship, coupled with sitting under the preaching of the word and joining our corporate worship, are the most important priorities of the season–more important than any other fun Christmas activities. I pray the Spirit will illuminate HIs Word to show us the glory of Christ as we study and sing of him together. 

In addition to featuring devotional encouragement on the “classic” and well known parts of the Christmas story, you also include material on the cross and return of Christ in your Advent devotional — why? 

The full glory of Christ and his incarnation cannot be seen outside of the broader context of God’s sovereign creation of the world for his glory through his Word. Christ did not come into the world as a mere interruption to a disconnected history. He came as a fulfilment of God’s eternal plan.  We have to look back to see the glory of his arrival. In the same way, the tender scenes of the Christ child must not eclipse the broader reality of God’s plan to unite all things under the headship of hIs Son, and his certain plan to defeat the great dragon, and the triumph of Christ on the cross for the redemption of his People. Of course there is nothing wrong with meditating on the birth narratives uniquely, but their full glory is only seen as we look backward and forward to the fullness of God’s purposes in Christ. 

Christ Our Glory – Devotions for Advent by Jon Payne is now available. Click here to view and/or purchase.