You Just Missed Him

by Stephen Hampton, Chase Campus Pastor

Every Christmas Eve, my grandparents would drive me, my sisters, and my cousins around so that we could see the Christmas lights and look for Rudolph pulling Santa’s sleigh. We would look for that red light that had to be Rudolph’s nose, but we never saw it. The amazing thing about it was that every year, while we were gone, Santa would come to our houses and deliver our gifts. Our parents would always say, “You just missed him.”

So many times, the Christmas season can be that way for me. I am driving around looking for the right presents or busy getting ready for Christmas services, and I miss the most important things. I miss the beauty of Christmas lights, the simplicity of a cup of hot cocoa with my daughters, or a special moment with my wife Jane without distractions; but most of all, I miss seeing Jesus himself.

I don’t want to get to the end of this Christmas season only to hear the words, “You just missed him.” I want to have eyes to see Jesus this Christmas like never before. Here are a few ways that might help you and me see Jesus more clearly this Christmas:  1) Buy a nativity scene, set it up and read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke;  2) Go serve at Manna House or the Care Center because Jesus can be seen in the face of each person you serve;  3) Pray each morning that Jesus would give you eyes to see him for who he really is that day.

When we see Jesus for who he really is, we are never the same again. The shepherds would definitely agree:

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:20).

May the words “You just missed him” never be a part of my Christmas story, or yours, ever again. May we see Jesus this Christmas for who he really is. 

Stephen Hampton, his wife Jane, and their three girls started attending Cove Church in 2001.  After 10 years as active members on the Hampton Cove campus, Stephen became the campus pastor of Cove Church @ Chase in June, 2011.