He Came In A Box Of Cowfeed

He Came In A Box of Cowfeed

I wonder what Christmas means to a mother who has lost her husband, who must take care of 3 or 4 children, working every day, never quite getting everything done, never making ends meet? What does Christmas mean to her?

I wonder what Christmas means to the little man in Zimbabwe, 80 years old, living in a hut, who knows nothing of shopping malls or Christmas trees? What does Christmas mean to him?

I wonder what it means to little children in orphanages with smudges on their cheeks, & sparkling eyes that look up, hoping to get adopted when couples walk in? What does Christmas mean to them?

I wonder what it means to missionaries who are half a world away from families & friends, who are sacrificing so much to take the precious gospel message to others who have never heard? What does it mean to them?

I’m sure that it means different things to different people.

To merchants it is the busiest time of the year. Stores stay open longer, & hire extra people to accommodate all the shoppers. It means more profit, hopefully enough profit to see them through lean times ahead.

For some employees it means a Christmas bonus, a little more money in their pockets to do things that they want to do.

For many teen-agers & adults it is a time of fun & parties. For children it is a time of impatience, with time seeming to pass so slowly, as they wait for Christmas morning.

What does Christmas mean for you?

Sometimes I get the feeling that we are like the folks who decided to throw a party to honor a very special friend. They sent out invitations, decorated the hall, & had the food catered. All the people came together at the designated time, but to their surprise, the guest of honor was not there.

Finally, they made the embarrassing discovery that no one had ever invited the guest of honor.

I wonder if that happens at Christmas time? Do we go through all the decorating, & buying presents, & preparing elaborate meals, but somehow forget whose birthday it really is?

One family tried to overcome that by putting an extra place at their Christmas table for Jesus, & calling Christmas, "His birthday party." When one of their daughters was asked if she got everything she wanted for Christmas, she answered by saying, "No, but then it’s not my birthday."

It isn’t our birthday, is it? It’s the Lord’s birthday.

No matter what you have grown up believing or what your tradition was, I am here to tell you that JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! Amen! In spite of the pagan customs that have attached themselves to the birth of Christ. And in spite of the probable improper date given to His birth, He is nonetheless the reason for the season.

Listen up Church!

Old Santa is not the reason!

St. Nick is not the reason!

Kriss Kringle is not the reason!

Rudolph the red-nose reindeer is not the reason!

Kissing under the mistletoes is not the reason!

Chestnut roasting over an open fire is not the reason!

Jack frost nibbling at your toes is not the reason!

BUT JESUS CHRIST IS THE REASON!

Christmas without Christ is just mas. Do you know what mas is? Anybody here know? I don’t know. I thought somebody here would know.

Friends, only with Christ, can you truly celebrate Christmas.

Turn with me to the Christmas story according to St. Paul. Open with me to the tiny book called Philippians. Philippians 2:3-7.

(3) Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

(4) Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

(5) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

(6) who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

(7) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men (in a box of cowfeed.) Now I added that last phrase.

Away in a manger… Away… Do you know that one? “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head, the stars in the sky look down where He lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”

Friends, may I remind you that this song is about the God-King of the universe. Do you know what it meant for God to become incarnate as a human being? People try to describe Christ’s incarnation by saying it would be similar to a human being becoming an ant. And then I read a book a few days ago by one author who says, “No way! Not even close. Human beings and ants are practically kissing cousins compared to the differences between God and us.”