Happy Holidays! Well Merry Christmas TO YOU!

Happy Holidays.  Or maybe Season's Greetings.  What!  Don't you mean Merry Christmas!

Holiday Tree!  Don't you mean Christmas Tree!

Man, we can sure get caught up in all this.  Do you think we might have lost the true meaning and reason for Christmas?  Let's see......

First off, there is a whole lot of discussion and debate about the actual date when Jesus was born.  Then, (Oh NO!, kind of like Congress), we set the date arbitrarily so it has the most advantageous benefit (maybe to hide a pagen celebration) for us.  Well not really we, but someone did, right?  So we now have a date when we can celebrate the birth of Jesus.  And for the Christian world, it is one of the most Holy Celebrations.  Here is the ultimate gift.  Right?

Let's see...

God, decided to give all His children a gift.  Not just any gift, but the ONE they really needed.  See, He is really fond of ALL His children, even the one's who don't claim to be His children.  He gave the Gift to ALL, even if they chose not to accept it.  Are you seeing this yet?  He gave us the Gift of:

Adoption back into His family (We are sons and daughters of God!)
A new nature so we can return to being what He created us to be in the first place.
A new destination (Eternity in Heaven with Him, and our true Big Brother, Jesus!)

All of this was wrapped in the smallest and most vulnerable of packages, a baby.  You remember the story - The shepherds get the message, the Wise Men get the message, the baby is born, the star, the Heavenly Host Praising and Worshiping...Unto YOU a child is born, and He was not sent to judge us, but to SAVE us!  (The judging part comes later!  He won't be asking our opinion!  Are you ready?)  Not the way we would do it, right?

So now we make it about giving gifts, trees, candy canes, etc.  Do you think we can outgive God?  Do you think if we give enough we can be saved, or free, or happy, or healthy, or wise?  Do you think if we give enough we will be remembered?  Do we really think this a a Gift Exchange?

Wow, Gift Exchange!  There's a thought.  God, thanks for Jesus, here is my 1.4 hours on Sunday.  Thanks for Jesus, here is my career.  Thanks for Jesus, here is my checkbook.  How about - God, Thanks for the true Gift I really needed, Jesus to Save me, here is everything I am and have - my devotion, my worship, my (well you fill in the blank).  Do you think that is the gift exchange God is looking for?  He gave The Gift with NO Strings attached.  That's right - NO STRINGS!  He gave it even if you chose not to accept it!  He will leave it wrapped on the shelf, with your name on it, right up until That Day.  You know, when Jesus comes again to judge.

So, why are we so offended when someone doesn't accept the Gift He gave?  (What do you mean, Happy Holidays!  Don't you mean Merry Christmas?)  We didn't give it!  We can't make them open it!  Maybe all we can do is pray for a softening of their heart to the One who truly loves them with ALL of His heart.  Maybe we could influence them to accept and open the gift by showing them how much WE VALUE OURS!  (You know how Grandparents are when they talk about their grandkids, right!)

Well, I have sure rambled this week.  Here's the thing.  At church last Sunday, they showed a video.  It really struck a chord with me.  My heart still resonates with it!  It makes you stop and ask some questions, and think, if you are so inclined.  I am.  Maybe, this Christmas, I want to spend less and give more.  Not sure how that looks, but I'm asking my Daddy in Heaven to show me!

Here is the link.  I encourage you to watch, and ponder the wonder of Christmas again.

www.rethinkingchristmas.com/?q=node/14

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

www.btbf.org/adventconspiracy


Praying for a Worship-Full Christmas,

David

 If only we had that much passion for the lost!