For some reason, the entire month of December always seems to be the busiest and most stressful time

of the year. It is supposed to be a season filled with joy and the laughter of children, but somehow we always manage to get wrapped up in the craziness. With all of the traveling, family get-togethers, holiday parties, church plays and cantatas, and last-minute mall runs, its no wonder that we end up stressed out and counting down the days until December 26th. Its hard to imagi ne how radically different Christmas is today with all of the stress and commerc ialism compared to how God intended the celebration of His Sons birth to be. Howe ver, when you think about it, the first Christmas was not all that different. A teenage girl in Nazareth was engaged to be married to a successful carpenter, and life was looking pretty good until she was visited by an angel who told her that she would give birth to the Messiah. She suddenly found herself an unwed ex pectant mother, and Joseph rightfully got cold feet and planned to dismiss her q uietly until he, too, was visited by an angel. They believed the promise and tru sted God, but imagine dealing with the rumors and public opinion. If that wasnt e nough pressure, they then had to travel to Bethlehem for a census. It was a long journey, and Im sure it was a long, uncomfortable donkey ride for a very pregnan t Mary. When they arrived, Bethlehem was a busy place with bad tempers and no va cancies. They went from one inn to the next with no luck, and then with the wors t timing possible, Mary went into labor. Finally, someone had a little mercy and allowed them to use their stable. The birth of the Son of God took place in an unsanitary barn with no nurses or family present. Straw wasnt exactly the padding of choice, and the place was already crowded with smelly animals. The stress di dnt end there, as Joseph was later forced to take his family to Egypt to escape t he wrath of a jealous king. We all know how the story ends. The family eventually made it back to Nazareth a nd Jesus grew up to complete His earthly mission. However, there are two princip les inherent in this Christmas story. The first is that they always put God firs t. In the midst of this holiday season plagued with stress and commercialism, its easy to forget what were really celebrating. Second, we need to be willing to b e inconvenienced, not only for each other, but also for the overarching call God has placed on each of our lives. Youve probably been reminded before, but we hope that as we draw closer to Decemb er 25th, you will be able to put some of the stress aside and enjoy the stillnes s of the season. But most importantly, remember to put Christ first and allow yo urself to be inconvenienced for a little while. This Christmas, let us be remind ed of the true wealth we find in Jesus words in Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first th e kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unt o you (KJV).