Keep the Christmas Holiday Focused on Christ with Josh Helms

As our nation becomes more materialistic and secularized, so does the Christmas holiday season. The timeless Christmas carols that tell of the incarnation of God through the birth of the Christ-child in Bethlehem are virtually removed from public hearing. Those songs are now largely reserved for church-goers sequestered within the four walls of their holy sanctuaries—places many of today’s secularized Americans no longer even consider credible for spiritual refuge.

The Christmas holiday has gone from being a mere “12 days of Christmas” to virtually a 365 day commercial enterprise. We see stores open all year-round, merchandising the Christmas theme with items that play on the sentiments that resurrect the fondest times of our lives—particularly our childhoods. In light of all this, keeping our kids grounded toward the true meaning of Christmas has always been a challenge for godly parents. Since our Lord is most glorified by us when we are most satisfied in Him, keeping our kids satisfied in Him by keeping “Christ” in Christmas is certainly a win/win proposition for everyone.

Our guest, Josh Helms and his wife Lindsey are the creators of a resource for families called the Shepherd on the Search. This resource is a fun way to keep the family conversation focused on the real meaning of Christmas through the character of a young shepherd who spends the weeks leading up to Christmas looking for God’s greatest gift. They created Shepherd on the Search by looking for ways to keep kids excited about the Christmas season while focusing on the birth of our Lord and Savior. Josh, Lindsey, and their children live in Nashville, Tennessee.

Why Families Should Contemplate the True Meaning of the Christmas Holiday

If your family is like many other Christian families across the country, Christmas is a time for producing life-long memories. Food, fun, and family comes together to celebrate the Christmas holiday, and the celebration of the birth of Christ is special time for many. But sometimes we focus so much on the food, fun, and family that we forget the first and foremost fact for which the aforementioned food, fun, and family are being enjoyed—the incarnation or advent of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My family is just like the family I described above. And, except for keeping Christ in Christmas, I think even most garden variety heathens enjoy Christmas in a similar way. It might be more about the winter solstice or Santa Clause or snow or gifts or jingle bells or whatever, but the Christmas season for most Americans is a time for getting together with family and enjoying one another over a meal and the exchanging of gifts.

Unfortunately, the commercialization of Christmas can easily cloud the true meaning of Christmas for even the most devout among us. That is why it is important to pause and contemplate what is really at the root of this holiday. I don’t think Christians do that nearly enough—especially with our kids. That’s why we have invited today’s guest to be with us today. This week, Josh Helms and I discuss the true Christmas story as we share the following subjects:

How you can use Shepherd on the Search to help your kids learn the story of Christmas.
What does God think about how our nation celebrates Christmas.
How to debunk the myths about Christmas.
Was Christmas a pagan holiday?
How to tell your child about Santa Claus.
What is the truth about St. Nicholas.
How to legitimize the story of Christ vs. the story of Santa Claus.

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