Where is Jesus in Your Celebrations?

Is He there, or barely mentioned?
Does He fit with all the tension?
Is He in the ribbons, wrappings?
Is He in the culture’s trappings?

Is He in the food and parties?
Overeating, faith departing?
Is He in the twisted humor?
Is He in the stories rumored?

Is He in the decorations?
Is He in the mild flirtations?
Is He in your conversations?
Or from Him you take vacation?

Where is Jesus being honored?
What about Him do you holler?
Do you share the truth of Gospel?
Or of that thought, are you hostile?

Are you living for Him truly?
Or, in truth, are you quite worldly?
Do you want to please Him daily?
Or that thought you think it’s crazy?

Jesus wants that you obey Him
Die to sin not follow your whims.
Follow Him where’er He leads you,
Take in now all that He feeds you.

Take the gospel now to others –
Strangers, friends, and sisters, brothers.
Tell how we must die to our sin
So in truth we now live for Him.

An Original Work / December 26, 2023

And Jesus said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 ESV)