So This Is Christmas

Christmas? Bah-humbug!

I am getting to that point as we strip away any significance of the Christian celebration. Forget trying to convince the world to keep Christ in Christmas. Why should it? They don't believe. For them Christmas is about family traditions, having fun with the kids with the figure of Santa Claus, and having a great party at the beginning of winter. No, the real fight is to get the Christian to keep Christ in Christmas.

Society is a powerful machine shaped and molded by the media. Most people accept as truth whatever they watch on television, especially the news. Christians submit themselves to this same mind-shaping machine every day. Ask the average Christian how much they will spend on gifts this year and it will be no different than the person who does not believe. Ask them what Christmas is about and the two will give similar answers: the family.

As nice as it is to have the family together for Christmas, it is not about the family. Christmas is not about the food. Christmas is not about family traditions. Christmas is not about the magical time for the children. Christmas is about one thing:

In the beginning was the Word

and the Word was with God

and the Word was God.

The Word was with God in the beginning. (John 1:1-2)

The Word became flesh

and made his home among us.

We have seen his glory,

glory like that of a father’s only son,

full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

That's it. That is our celebration that we have allowed to become something it was never intended to be. Now it is more a celebration of the family, which Christians who worship the family are happy for, but it is not the true celebration. Now we don't even open our churches on Christmas day to worship God for this incredible start to his great act of mercy and grace. No, we would not want to disturb family time.

"Keep Christ in Christmas" we say as we stress out over Christmas shopping and running up our credit cards with stuff we can't afford. We are caught up in the machine just like our non-believing neighbour and we don't have the guts to admit it.

The Christmas message is still a message of the Cross. The Christmas message is about the Light that entered this dark world to die for mankind who did not deserve it. The Christmas message is about God's love, mercy, grace and forgiveness. The Christmas message is about God's reconciliation with man. The Christmas message is nothing without Easter. I do not worship a baby in a manger. I worship the risen King; the Alpha and Omega; the first born of us all.

Re-think Christmas this year and don't be a lump of clay for this society to mold.

The Door Is Blown Off Its Hinges

I think we started Christmas off with the best of intentions but it kind of morphed on us. We hi-jacked a pagan celebration to replace it with a greater celebration but we have lost control and it has slowly slipped back into a worthless celebration of ... stuff. Honestly, when you wake up Christmas morning are you worshiping and celebrating the significant moment of God changing everything with the tiny breath of a baby?

Of course this was only the beginning of the big change but it was significant. God changed himself, never to be the same again, to become part of his own creation, to set the example, to make a path and blow wide open the door to a new way, his way, the only way if we decide to choose life.

Not in a billion years would we have been able to achieve what Jesus did for us. It goes way past salvation. The forgiveness of sins was one thing but Jesus made it possible for us to enter into eternity. That tree of life that was guarded by a flaming sword was suddenly made available for anyone to eat from; and the tree is Jesus.

First there was the manger, then the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then the cross and finally the great victory of the empty grave. All significant. All vital steps of God's plan. But consider the impact of the last step for us. Consider eternity for a moment because I think we sometimes forget. I think we live our lives too much like this is all there is. When you wake up tomorrow, or day after, or on Christmas day, consider this:

He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colossians 1:18)

Did you hear the door being blown off its hinges? Jesus is the first in all things. He was the seed for everything in creation, including the new creation. He was the instrument that brought light to the Universe, that cause land to form, that breathed life into the first man. He was the instrument, the seed, the firstborn so that the rest of us could follow. Jesus is the promise of eternal life. Yes, through his blood we are saved but our salvation goes beyond this place and it is the empty grave that is the promise that Jesus is that Tree Of Life.

We don`t have to live this life with any regrets. We are not missing out on anything here. Live your life to the fullest for Jesus in this place. Don`t worry about whatever presents you don`t get because it has no impact on the more important eternal matters. Love large and allow forgiveness to cover everything. Don`t take offence here because the only significance here has is as a training ground for the greater thing to come. So, live, laugh, represent Jesus, tell everyone the good news, relax, don`t worry, trust God, remain faithful, work hard in Kingdom matters, and realize this place is less than a blink compared to what Jesus has opened up for us.

We don`t have time to let this world steal away our joy because our joy is an eternal thing. So, this Christmas determine to make worship of the Firstborn the foundation of your Christmas celebration, in word and deed.