Matthew 25:31-46
“Christmas Is Not Your Birthday: Jesus’ Wish List”
(based on Mike Slaughter's Book)
I remember being about Mary Ellen’s age and trying to remember what I had given my sister Lisa the previous Christmas.
Not able to recall, I went and asked her.
Lisa’s response?
“I don’t remember, but I probably didn’t like it.”
Do you struggle to come up with the perfect gift each Christmas for the special people in your life?
It can be tough, but here’s an even more important question: “What do you give Jesus on His birthday?”
This question brings us back to the focus of this Sermon Series: “Christmas Is Not Our Birthday! It is Jesus’ birthday.”
So, how can we change the focus of Christmas from materialistic self-indulgence to giving Jesus what He wants on His birthday?
How can we make it less about us and more about Jesus?
What can we possibly give the Lord of the universe?
Thankfully, Jesus made His “wish list” unquestionably clear in our Gospel Lesson for this morning.
“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
When Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, they were probably absolutely befuddled.
For over two years, they had been with Jesus virtually 24/7, and had never seen Jesus in any of these situations.
But then Jesus clarified what He meant: “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers [and sisters] of mine, you did for me.”
In other words, we can’t separate our relationship with God from our responsibility for other people.
And what we do or don’t do for other people—we do it or don’t do it for Jesus.
In 1st John we are told that evidence of our salvation involves helping other people with their physical needs: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love [one another]. Anyone who does not love remains in death.”
And, “If anyone has material possessions and sees [a brother or a sister] in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children, let us…love…with actions and truth.”
We serve God when we serve others.
We give to Jesus when we sacrifice of our time, talents, and money to meet the needs of others in Jesus’ name!
Even during Jesus’ earthly ministry, He wanted His followers to know that they were responsible for feeding the hungry in their midst.
Think about the famous “feeding of the 5,000.”
The disciples had wanted to send the crowds away, but Jesus said to them: “You give them something to eat.”
Pretty amazing.
God creates miracles through the resources that you and I hold in our hands…
….Moses’ staff, David’s five smooth stones, the widow’s oil, six water jars at a wedding reception, another widow’s two small coins, and a boy’s lunch of five pieces of bread and two small sardines!!!
These are the resources that miracles are made of!!!
“But we only have five loaves of bread and two fish,” the disciples answered.
“But we are living in the greatest recession since the Great Depression,” we might say today.
“But Jesus we are just a small struggling church and don’t have the resources.”
“But, but, but…”
It’s been said that “it’s time to commit to losing our big buts!”
Jesus needs the five loaves and two fish we have in our hands, no matter how little it may seem!
Jesus blesses what we give Him, multiplies it, and then gives it back to us to give to others.
This is Kingdom Economics 101!!!
Our willingness to obey Jesus and give to Him what is in our hands and in our wallets can literally mean life or death for hundreds of thousands of people around the world!
For example, one child dies every forty-five seconds from a malaria-related cause that can be prevented by a simple mosquito net at a cost of less than $10.00.
And The United Methodist Church has a program called “Imagine No Malaria.”
We are in the top three organizations in the world which provides these nets.
Remember the proclamation I read at the beginning of the service this morning?
Jesus began His public ministry in His hometown of Nazareth by boldly declaring His mission statement:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
The gospel is good news for the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized.
And if it is not, then it is not the gospel!
Also, keep in mind, that poverty, in the deepest biblical sense, is any kind of brokenness.
Many of us born in the United States of America are blinded by our own spiritual poverty.
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus warned the Church at Laodicea about spiritual poverty tied to their self-focused materialism.
Jesus said, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’
But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
Have you ever thought of someone as being poor because they are rich and self-content?
Black Friday 2008 gave an example of the depth of poverty which comes from consumerist idolatry.
A Long Island Walmart worker died after an out-of-control mob of frenzied shoppers smashed through the store’s front doors and trampled him.
Roughly 2,000 people had gathered outside the doors chanting: “Push the doors in!”
And when opening time came, the Black Friday stampede plunged the store into chaos, knocking employees to the ground and sending some shoppers scurrying up vending machines to avoid the danger.
When the madness ended, the Walmart worker was dead and four shoppers, including a 28 year old pregnant woman, had to be taken to the hospital.
It has been written, “Sadly, these shoving crowds of Black Friday represent the way in which far too many Americans, including many who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, [celebrate] the Advent of His Christmas birth.”
Can you imagine the birthday celebration if every Christian in every church committed to giving an equal amount of what they spend on themselves to Jesus Christ as well?
We can change the world if we are willing to celebrate Jesus’ birthday in a way that honors Him!!!
When we acknowledge Jesus as Lord, we give Him the rights to define our lifestyles, our values, and yes, even the way we celebrate His birth!!!
At Christmas, we celebrate a Messiah, a Deliverer, Who was born to die.
And we too, are called to give ourselves along with Christ for the world that God loves so much!
It is to be more of Jesus and less of us.
More for Jesus and less for us.
And you know, the more of ourselves that we give away, the more abundant our faith and our happiness is with what we have.
There are people all over the world and in our own city and neighborhood—so many people whom Jesus loves and calls us to care for in His name.
When we give to others, and focus less on ourselves not only is our faith strengthened and our lives blessed…
…but you can bet your bottom dollar that giving to the poor, the broken, the lost, the lonely, the hungry, the sick and imprisoned will make Jesus smile on His birthday!!!
How can I say this?
It comes down to Jesus’ specific gift request: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers [and sisters] of mine, you did for me” or “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
We serve Jesus by serving those in need.
It’s as simple as that!
It’s so simple that when Jesus was describing the scene of the king separating the sheep from the goats, He said that many righteous people won’t even realize what they had done.
Jesus said, “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
It’s so funny that it can be so hard to find gifts that will please certain family members or friends—the people who seem to have everything—and yet it is so clear what the Lord of lords and King of kings wants for His birthday.
God wants you and me—our time, our talents, our treasure, our love—used in service to others for the transformation of the world!!!
Shall we give Him what He wants?
