Recipe For A Merry Christmas Series

Back in the 60's, a movie was made telling the story of a man,

who, like Job, got so discouraged that he wished he had never been

born. His guardian angel granted him his wish, and also the freedom

to go back to his hometown to observe the consequences. Nobody

knew him, of course, not even his own wife and mother , for he had

never lived. He discovered many things had not been done because

he had not lived to do them. Many of the lives he had aided in rough

times had gone astray because he had not been there to give a

helping hand. Many bad influences had grown strong in the

community because he had not been there to prevent them. He then

realized how important one ordinary life can be in it's long range

influence for good. He was so grateful that he was allowed to wake

up, as from a dream, and be alive. His life was full of meaning and

significance after all.

Most all of us would have had the same experience. Most of us

underestimate ourselves and the influence we have on other lives.

Paul did not do this with himself, or any other child of God. He

knew that every believer could, if they would, add to this world the

same kind of joy that Jesus brought when he entered history on that

first Christmas.

Paul, in this passage, holds up the example of Jesus in His

Incarnation as the pattern for all Christians to imitate. He says, that

if the Philippian Christians will imitate Jesus, his joy will be

complete, and he implies their joy and the joy of Jesus would also be

complete. What we have here then, is a first century recipe for a

merry Christmas. All we have to do is mix into the bowl of life those

ingredients that Jesus brought into the world on the first Christmas.

This is the season to be jolly, but we often make it a season of

folly because we spend most of our time conforming to the world,

rather than to Christ. We become so busy getting things ready for

Christmas that we tend to neglect relationships. Jesus did not come

into the world to give us religious jewelry, though it has great value

as being both beautiful and symbolic. He did not come to give us a

holiday and a day of feasting, though it is much appreciated.

No Christian should complain of all the fringe benefits. But He came to

give Himself and His Spirit, and all the fruit of the Spirit. When you

care enough to give the best, you give yourself.

Christmas is a time when God would have us look back at our

roots. As Christians, Paul expects that by focusing on the roots of

Christmas it will help Christians produce the fruits of Christmas.

He expects Christians to look at what Jesus did in the giving of

Himself, which led to the cross, and apply that spirit in their

relationship to others.

The Philippian Church was one of the best churches of the New

Testament. But even there, the problems of disagreement

developed. Chapter 4, verse 2, tells of two women who were in a

state of contention, and this was hurting the unity of the church. A

breakdown in unity is a major problem in the church and in the

family. Paul is offering, in this passage, a recipe that will restore

unity to any group and produce a merry Christmas.

The beauty of this recipe is that all of the ingredients are

available to every believer. You don't have to order them and wait

for them to be imported from some distant land. Another great

value is that each of the ingredients is a gift that does not diminish,

but multiplies when given away. The more you give it away, the

more you have. If I have one pen and I give it to you, I no longer

have a pen, and have been diminished by my giving. But, if I have a

sense of encouragement, comfort, and joy in Christ, and I share that

with you, I have multiplied these values, and by so doing, have even

more myself. It is like an idea. If I share it with you, it is multiplied,

and the idea becomes stronger in my mind by sharing it.

Self-interest, rightly seen, leads us to share our gifts, and thereby

enrich others as we enrich ourselves. In the realm of spiritual values

it is always better to give then to receive, for the giver gains more

than the receiver, just as a teacher gains more than the student.

That is why we should be excited about this recipe for a merry

Christmas. Like any good recipe it can be used the year around.