True Christmas

Recently two little girls were interviewed about the meaning of Christmas. Their answer was "presents". They shared their favorite presents and the ones they anticipate for the coming Christmas. Their parents surely are looking to make some wonderful holiday memories for the girls so they will grow up with happy memories. 

The thing is that the happiness that dolls and toys bring is short lived. There is great joy as they anticipate the gift and open it, but after a few hours they excitement wears off and the toy joins the ranks of its colleagues. 

I shared with the girls that it is really Jesus' birthday and He is the one who should get all the gifts, but instead of getting gifts He gives them. I told him how in the Garden of Eden, Adam messed things up for all of us when He sinned against God. Ever since that first sin, everyone born has some of it inside us. We all know there is bad inside us. We sometimes don't do what we should. 

God is Holy and perfect so to be friends with us He had to fix our sin. We couldn't be good enough to overcome the bad in us. We just can't make the bad go away. God sent a perfect child. It was His Son Jesus who had been with God in Heaven even when Adam was here. Jesus became a baby, then a boy, and then a man so he could show us what perfection was like. Then he took our place on the cross so our sin could be fixed and we could be friends with God again. That is why we have a big celebration at Christmas. We decorate and give gifts and have a feast because Jesus came to earth to help us beat sin and be friends with God. 

We will one day be with Jesus in Heaven to thank him but if we really believe in Him, He will come and live in our hearts even now. Have you ever seen the signs that say believe?  That is what it means to believe girls. We believe that Jesus is Gods Son who came to fix our sin problem that Adam gave us. We couldn't fix ourselves but God loved us so much He wanted to be friends again with His  people. But only those who really believe can have that friendship. 

We can pray together. Dear God, I believe that you sent your Son Jesus to fix my sin problem. I believe He overcame sin so that I can too. Please forgive me for the times I have messed up and disappointed you. I accept your gift of Jesus at Christmas will you let him live inside me?  I love you and want to be good friends with you. Amen. 

Christmas Teaches Materialism

Harsh to consider that at Christmas we may be instilling in our children the very values that Jesus came to overcome. For so many who don't understand Christmas, the holiday is about lights and presents. As people greet me through the month of December one of their opening questions is, "have you finished your shopping for Christmas?"  I can honestly say yes because it didn't do any. 

When occasionally I get an opportunity to explain my thinking about the commercialism of the holiday and taking back the holiday to honor The Lord rather than getting caught up in madness, I receive the reply that it would be fine for th too if it weren't for the children. The children?  

Are we failing to neglect worship of The Lord because our children expect presents?  Where did they get this expectation and how are they going to be protected from the idolatry of materialism if they don't learn it as children. In splurging on our children in this way we teach them self indulgence and they grow up expecting over the top experiences that are not real life and have very little to do with celebrating the birth of our Savior. 

We do not need to abandon celebration at Christmas, but if we are to celebrate - can't we center the celebration on Jesus and not ourselves?  I wonder what might happen in the Kingdom if all the billions of dollars spent on gifts were redirected to our local churches or to missionaries in the field sharing the Christmas story with those who have never heard. 

What if we were to do some special service for an unbelieving neighbor to lighten their load and to demonstrate good will that Jesus offers to all. Would that not potentially open the door to share the gospel and to win a soul for the Kingdom?  

What if we hosted a birthday party for Jesus and shared how we have the hope if Heaven and the promise of his spirit here if only we would believe in Him and trust Him?  What if our believing was redirected from Santa to Jesus the greatest giver of them all. 

Too many of us have made family, friends and food the center of the celebration while Jesus is pushed aside. Consider in your community, how many churches offer a Christmas worship service?  If we can be with family and friends and worship The Lord together that is wonderful. But the center if this celebration should always be a remembrance if Jesus' coming and a reminder that he will return again soon and were should be waiting expectantly. 

I realize that these ideas are foreign particularly to American culture, but Jesus can that we might have more than a trinket. He offers reconciliation between God and man. With Him we have salvation of our sins because he took our place and paid the price to redeem us. 

Satan and the Joy of Christmas

Satan and Christmas. There I did it. I put two things that should never be associated together. Christmas is about love and peace and a little baby in a manger and angels and all the trimmings.  What could Satan possibly have to do with the most favorite holiday of all?  

Some of you may say Jesus is the reason for the season, but the little known truth may be that Satan is the reason for the season. I am not going to talk about how the holiday has been canabalized by the world removing Jesus from the focus of the Season (though it is true and I do believe Satan has a hand in it). I am going to focus on the first Christmas and Satan's role there. 

You see, we are born sinners and we are born of sinners. The DNA of Adam has continued down through the generations. We do not need to be taught selfishness, anger, greed, hostility - they all come very naturally.  We can try to learn to suppress our nature and put a good spin on ourselves but we are just putting lipstick on a pig. We can't completely cover our sin. 

We were born into a world that became dominated by Satan in the garden. Because of his influence Adam gave in to sin and we have been under Satan's power ever since. We lost all hope when Adam sinned - fellowship with God lost. Satan can ruin our fellowship but he doesn't have the power to restore it. God himself provided the way in Gen 3:15:  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.  God promised a deliverer that could crush Satan and overcome his power. We are at odds with Satan and he would be our undoing if we did not have God's intervention in our lives. 

Then came Jesus!  Our Deliverer from the power Satan had over us. He came to offer us salvation and to pay the penalty not only for all my sins which are gray indeed but for your sins too and for the sin of all generations who will only believe and trust God's plan of salvation. There is only one. 

The fact that we were in such despair and without hope until Jesus came to earth makes the season so much more joyful. Satan's oppression is broken and we have fellowship of the Spirit here and the hope of eternity in Heaven. Glory to God in the Highest!  Now THAT is good news!  

Service not Stuff

A few years ago I was struck by the chaos of Christmas feeling that it had become so commercialized and that Jesus had been lost.  I started looking around at displays, listening to the music of the season, watching Christmas entertainment and reading the holiday messaging and found the holiday was almost completely devoid of Christ. The pressure I felt to get decorated, buy gifts, attend events, send cards felt more of a burden than ever. I came to my breaking point one year and prayed how could I celebrate the holiday well and honor The Lord without getting caught up in the chaos. Certainly if Jesus were here in the flesh, this is not what He would endorse. 

I would like to propose to you that it is service not stuff that is the most profound gift you can give at Christmas and would honor Christ more than any trinket you can buy at the Christmas.   

Jesus gave of himself. He started at Bethlehem leaving his place in Heaven to take the form of a child in poverty. He grew and applied himself at his father Joseph's trade, but being God he offered services unique to himself. He healed the sick, the blind were made to see, the lame walked. Jesus even raised a few from the dead. Jesus offered Heavenly wisdom to us here on earth as he travelled He told us about the Father's plan for salvation offered I those who would place their trust in Him. Finally, Jesus offered the greatest service anyone could; he took our penalty for sin and gave us all the hope of Heaven. So Jesus was the prototype of service, not stuff. 

From a completely human perspective, service not stuff speaks more personally to our loved ones. Offering the greatest of all we have: time, talent and our attention. Service is love in action that makes anything purchased look cheap in comparison.  Finally, service not stuff breaks the hold of materialism and demonstrates that true love is not found in a box; it comes in the form of flesh. 

I would like to offer a few practical suggestions for your gift list and would welcome even more ideas from our readers:

Cleaning of a closet

Spending the day doing activities with your loved ones - really engaged

Detailing a car

Child care for date night

Make a dinner for a busy working person

Take a shut in out to see Christmas lights 

Offer to pray for someone specifically and daily

Washing windows

Hand made goodies

My husband's favorite - massage

Foot rub

Makeover

Pedicure 

Service humbles us and honors the recipient. I hope you will consider integrating service into your gift list this year. 

Combatting Materialism

Deuteronomy 5:8 (KJV)

Thou shalt not make thee [any] graven image, [or] any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the waters beneath the earth:

When you think about idolatry, it might feel like a distant practice of olden times conducted by ignorant peoples of superstition. You conjur up images of wooden or metal statues where people bowed and committed their worship. We look on these things and say that these images had no power and yet people attributed great power and authority to them. We have "evolved" and are much more intelligent than that. These people had replaced worship of God with the worship of mere trinkets. 

In today's culture however, worship of God is frequently replaced with replacements that promise health, wealth and prosperity. The culture has, like Satan in the Garden, twisted the view of God and has justified the making of happiness the chief goal of life rather than holiness. Satan speaks into our ear and offers cheap substitutes that have the promise of happiness; wealth, intelligence, power, health all promise to deliver our desire. Once achieved however, we find that they are empty victories, devoid of happiness. The road travelled did not lead us to our destination. The pursuit of Holiness seems to offer none of the joys of earthly pursuits, but those who pursue it find that they get the jackpot. Holiness and happiness are intertwined. There is no greater joy than walking with God and enjoying his fellowship. 

We are trained from birth that materialism is ultimate achievement. Our happiness can be found in having more stuff. Advertising tells us we are worth it and that we can't live without it. We measure our worth based on the quantity and quality of our stuff. We know we have more than the vast majority of the world, but we can't let go or stop the pursuit for fear of what it will do to the measure of our self worth.

Getting by and making do are just not an option for most. The truth is that we don't really find our worth until we look at Jesus who found us to be so valuable and so precious that he left Heaven, assumed the skin of a man and then sacrificed himself to redeem us. That is true worth. Power is his too. He has all power since it was in him that all things are created. The truth is that most of us have bought in (at least in small measure) to the lie that ease, enjoyment and abundance in earth are the goal. My friend, please take your eyes off the world's measures and set your eyes on God's measures. Each and every materialist will one day stand before The Lord to account for how they have lived here. Life here is fleeting, but eternity is forever. 

If, however, you will pursue holiness and train your thinking to God's standard you will find your life has purpose, direction and has more fulfillment than anyone could have imagined. You will find that even your desires change so that there is no depravation and your joy is complete. If you are a Christian, you are not of this world.  You are only temporarily assigned here to complete the Master's calling. When you have finished your work, your reward in Heaven will be much greater than even the best earth has to offer. Chase after that reward and lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven. 

The Gift of Christmas

All around at Christmastime you see the hurried shoppers all ticking off their lists. Gifts for family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and don't forget the mailman. Organizing packages and Christmas cards for mailing (perhaps with a special note or family newsletter).  Pick out the tree and bring out the decorations from the attic. Then there is decorating the house and attending events. Adding to our already busy schedules to prepare ourselves for the great holiday to celebrate the birth of a Savior. 

Is it any wonder that so often Christ gets lost in the activity of the season?  To keep Christ IN Christmas you have to be intentional. Most of the activity has very little to so with Christ anyway. Listen to the music played over the radio on most secular stations, there is nary a Savior mentioned. It is holiday music for sure singing of the joys of snow, being together with (or apart from) family, warm feelings on seeing decorations, or reaching out to a shut in - but no Christ.

I long for family oriented entertainment on television. There is hardly any left, but at Christmas there are special programming for the family, but even that has removed the Savior and replaced him with a package. You won't find a Savior in the Santa specials, Frosty or in The Christmas Story. This season is the hope of every retailer anticipating making up for the losses through the remainder of the year. 

A few churches still have Christmas Eve celebrations but most close their doors on the actual holiday allowing their members to enjoy family celebrations. If ever we needed to have the true purpose of Christmas returned to its celebration it is now. Thank God for the families that still out out a nativity, but I really wish they wouldn't put Santa next to it - mixed messages. 

I am grateful for the few Christian stations that actually play hymns. When I think of celebrating Christmas, I remember the hymn - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. It is a sad and mournful tune about the state of utter bondage we find ourselves in. The sin that enslaves us, yet we have the promised hope of a Savior. We have heard the story so many times that it has lost its meaning I fear. Even today we have the hope of his return to ransom us out of this world turned against God and the promise of Jesus' coming reign on earth. 

If we get so busy that we miss the anticipation of the Lord's coming then we have missed it all. We can go through the motions of the holiday and never experience the wonder of a Savior. This Savior brings the world hope and joy knowing we can be forgiven our sins and we can enjoy the hope of Heaven. This should make us happy even to being tears to our eyes. 

This season should be our greatest season of all. The Light of the world came to earth and shone so brightly my sin was revealed to me and my chains were exposed. But glory to God, he had the means to wash my sins from me and to break the chains that held me bound. How do we thank God adequately for the gift of a Savior?  

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Our Test

Our test of faith reaches down to the most tangible parts of our lives.  It impacts our relationships and our financial choices.  In fact the greatest testimony of our faith is displayed in how we make the choices of life when given the opportunity to indulge ourselves and seek after self pleasure do we choose earth or do we choose heaven?