{"id":4273,"date":"2025-12-13T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/?p=3794"},"modified":"2025-12-13T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T13:00:00","slug":"choose-jesus-at-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/choose-jesus-at-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose Jesus Over the Pressures of the Christmas Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"yoast-breadcrumbs\"><span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/\">Home<\/a><\/span> \u00bb <span class=\"breadcrumb_last\" aria-current=\"page\">How to Choose Jesus Over the Pressures of the Christmas Season<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">5<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"150\" width=\"150\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3796\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/pexels-cottonbro-35841927\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pexels-cottonbro-35841927.jpg?fit=1920%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"pexels-cottonbro-35841927\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pexels-cottonbro-35841927.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Christmas-rush.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"People rushing in every direction, representing Christmas pressure and the call for believers to choose Jesus at Christmas\" class=\"wp-image-3796\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Christmas often stretches pastors and their families in ways that rarely make it into the sermons or the church newsletters. In my earlier years, I spent every spare minute racing from one responsibility to another. If I weren\u2019t tending to my home or children, I was decorating, cooking, attending church events, or searching for the perfect gifts. Day blurred into night with another gathering to host or another tradition to uphold. How could I choose Jesus over the pressures of the Christmas season?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Somewhere in the hurry, I stopped noticing the One we were celebrating. Looking back, I wonder what drove me. Was I worried about disappointing people, or did I fear someone might question my commitment if I slowed the pace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I found myself caught between two kingdoms. One sparkled with expectations and activity. The other whispered of peace and presence. The people in Jesus\u2019 world faced that same tension two thousand years ago. Perhaps you feel it, too, especially when you long to <a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/bible-verses-for-advent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">choose Jesus<\/a> at Christmas but feel pulled in every direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-herod-s-kingdom-why-fear-wins-when-we-don-t-choose-jesus-at-christmas\" data-level=\"2\">Herod\u2019s Kingdom: Why Fear Wins When We Don\u2019t Choose Jesus at Christmas<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-jesus-kingdom-the-peace-we-find-when-we-choose-jesus-over-the-pressures-of-the-season\" data-level=\"2\">Jesus\u2019 Kingdom: The Peace We Find When We Choose Jesus Over the Pressures of the Season<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-two-kings-and-two-kingdoms-choose-jesus-at-christmas\" data-level=\"2\">Two Kings and Two Kingdoms: Choose Jesus at Christmas<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-who-rules-our-hearts-this-christmas\" data-level=\"2\">Who Rules Our Hearts This Christmas?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/staging\/8869\/#h-join-the-conversation\" data-level=\"2\">Join the Conversation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-herod-s-kingdom-why-fear-wins-when-we-don-t-choose-jesus-at-christmas\">Herod\u2019s Kingdom: Why Fear Wins When We Don\u2019t Choose Jesus at Christmas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Herod the Great sat on the throne with a title he could never quite trust. Though he wasn\u2019t a Jew by birth, the Roman Senate crowned him \u201cKing of the Jews.\u201d Determined to keep that title, he dazzled the ancient world with building projects meant to secure glory and loyalty. Towering fortresses. Whole cities remade. The magnificent temple bearing his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Beneath the marble, Herod lived terrified of being replaced. Most Jews saw him as an outsider, a perspective that fed his paranoia. Brilliant and ambitious, he was also ruthless. He executed members of the Sanhedrin who opposed him. He murdered Mariamne, the wife he loved, along with her brother, grandfather, and mother. Later, he killed three of his sons. All to protect his throne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">So when the Magi arrived asking, \u201cWhere is the one who has been born king of the Jews?\u201d(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew%202%3A2&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Matthew 2:2<\/a> NIV), Herod\u2019s fear erupted. If a child had been born with the rightful claim to his title, Herod\u2019s world would collapse. His anxiety became the city\u2019s because everyone knew blood spilled when Herod felt threatened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In a final act of cruelty, he ordered the slaughter of all Bethlehem\u2019s boys under the age of two. Like Pharaoh before him, he spilled innocent blood to keep his power. Jeremiah\u2019s prophecy of Rachel weeping for her children came to life once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Herod\u2019s story warns us what happens when fear, prestige, and self-preservation rule the heart. The more he tried to secure his kingdom, the more his power slipped through his fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jesus-kingdom-the-peace-we-find-when-we-choose-jesus-over-the-pressures-of-the-season\">Jesus\u2019 Kingdom: The Peace We Find When We Choose Jesus Over the Pressures of the Season<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"h-jesus-kingdom-the-peace-we-find-when-we-choose-jesus-over-the-pressures-of-the-season\" class=\"\">The child Herod tried to kill arrived with none of the visible trappings of royalty. No guards. No palaces. No armies. Only a manger in a borrowed space and a young couple doing their best with what they had. Yet heaven knew his identity. Angels announced him. Shepherds hurried to find him. <a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/secrets-of-a-successful-search\/\">Foreign visitors<\/a> crossed deserts to worship him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Jesus entered the world quietly but carried a kingdom not built by force. Micah had promised a ruler would come from Bethlehem, one who would shepherd Israel with strength (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Micah%205%3A2-4&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Micah 5:2-4<\/a>). This Shepherd-King would govern through faithfulness, not fear. He would comfort rather than crush. His kingdom would grow through love, mercy, and the sacrifice of his blood, not that of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"h-jesus-kingdom-the-peace-we-find-when-we-choose-jesus-over-the-pressures-of-the-season\" class=\"\">Where Herod grasped for control, Jesus laid down his life. Where Herod guarded his throne, Jesus opened his arms. The contrast could not be more striking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-two-kings-and-two-kingdoms-choose-jesus-at-christmas\">Two Kings and Two Kingdoms: Choose Jesus at Christmas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"h-two-kings-and-two-kingdoms-choose-jesus-at-christmas\" class=\"\">Herod built monuments of stone. Jesus builds transformed hearts. Herod demanded allegiance. Jesus invites surrender. Herod promised a magnificent temple. Jesus offers forgiveness. Herod killed to protect his crown. Jesus died to give us life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"h-two-kings-and-two-kingdoms-choose-jesus-at-christmas\" class=\"\">Every Christmas, the story of these two kings reaches across the centuries and asks a searching question, \u201cWhich kingdom are we living for?\u201d Herod\u2019s throne still whispers to us, urging us to protect our image, keep up appearances, and stay in control. In Herod\u2019s kingdom, our worth depends on what we produce or how well we perform. But the manger calls us to something far greater, inviting us to choose Jesus at Christmas\u2014to surrender rather than strive, to kneel rather than climb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-rules-our-hearts-this-christmas\">Who Rules Our Hearts This Christmas?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"h-who-rules-our-hearts-this-christmas\" class=\"\">Two kings still ask for our loyalty. One offers the illusion of power. The other offers everlasting peace. We cannot live in both kingdoms. We cannot serve both kings. Somewhere in the rush and noise of December, we must decide how we\u2019ll choose Jesus over the pressures of the Christmas season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Herod\u2019s story becomes a mirror. His fear of losing control echoes in us whenever we cling to our own plans and expectations. We may not build palaces, but we often construct self-serving reputations, traditions, and routines we feel compelled to protect. Sometimes we want God close enough to bless us but not close enough to change us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">When Jesus is our King, the season takes on a different shape. We worship rather than worry, serve rather than strive, and love rather than try to impress. Christmas becomes less about keeping up and more about slowing down, less about proving something and more about receiving someone. Less about feasting and more about following Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"h-who-rules-our-hearts-this-christmas\" class=\"\">May we <a href=\"https:\/\/nancylucenay.com\/staging\/8869\/how-to-increase-our-chances-of-making-wise-choices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">choose<\/a> the manger over the throne. May we choose Jesus\u2019 eternal kingdom over our temporary empires. And like the Magi, let\u2019s lay our treasures and ourselves before the true King.<\/p>\n\n\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnancylucenay.com%2Fstaging%2F8869%2Fchoose-jesus-at-christmas%2F&#038;text=How%20to%20Choose%20Jesus%20Over%20the%20Pressures%20of%20the%20Christmas%20Season%20by%20%40NancyLucenay%20on%20Beyond%20the%20Front%20Door&#038;via=NancyLucenay&#038;related=NancyLucenay' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to Choose Jesus Over the Pressures of the Christmas Season by @NancyLucenay on Beyond the Front Door <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnancylucenay.com%2Fstaging%2F8869%2Fchoose-jesus-at-christmas%2F&#038;text=How%20to%20Choose%20Jesus%20Over%20the%20Pressures%20of%20the%20Christmas%20Season%20by%20%40NancyLucenay%20on%20Beyond%20the%20Front%20Door&#038;via=NancyLucenay&#038;related=NancyLucenay' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-join-the-conversation\">Join the Conversation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I\u2019d love to hear from you! What helps you choose Jesus at Christmas and lay down the pressures of the season? Share your thoughts and suggestions in the Comments box at the bottom of the page. (If you don&#8217;t see the Comments box, click Read More and scroll down.)<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Christmas pressures pull us in every direction, Scripture invites us to choose Jesus instead. Explore how the story of Herod and Jesus reveals two kingdoms and one life-changing choice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[383,156],"tags":[460,554,171,555,459],"class_list":["post-4273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-following-jesus","category-holidays","tag-beyond-the-front-door","tag-choose-jesus-at-christmas","tag-christmas","tag-how-to-choose-jesus-over-the-pressures-of-the-christmas-season","tag-nancy-lucenay"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Choose Jesus Over the Pressures of the Christmas Season - Nancy Lucenay<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Christmas devotion showing how to choose Jesus at Christmas. 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