Thanksgiving should be year round for Christmas
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The Angel said, he not only brought them good tidings but, tidings of great joy. We read this scripture every Christmas and what joy do we have?
At Thanksgiving what are we thankful for? I believe we should be thankful year round for what God has done for us.
What is Christmas to you? Is it one time of year that you can feel warm and fussy inside about giving someone some-thing? Is Christmas a time that we have turned into a ritual of doing the same thing, eating, sharing gifts with family and friends that we can't afford to buy and the gifts we buy the receiver doesn't need?
We feel guilty if we don't buy our children what they want and their wants become bigger each year? Where does it end?
Don't know if there will be an end but, the cost will come to reality soon after New Years when the bills come in.
You might be thinking right now, "well, Ronnie must be an old scrooge." No, I'm not. I have some great memories of Christmas when I was growing up with a loving Mom and Dad. Also have great Christmas memories of Brenda and I with Keith and Kevin when they were growing up. But, can anyone reading this confess that Christmas has always been centered around what God has done for us? Has it always been celebrated in the gift God gave to mankind?
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 a family in a foreign land that just heard about Jesus by a missionary. They living in a hut, who knows nothing of shopping malls or Christmas trees? What does Christmas mean to them?
I wonder what it means to missionaries who have spent their whole life away from families and friends, who are sacrific-ing so much to take the precious gospel message to others who have never heard it? What does it mean to them?
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 and had the food catered. All the people came together on time, but to their sur-prise, 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 and buying presents and preparing elab-orate meals, but somehow forget to invite the guest of honor?
Jesus is the reason for the season. It's God's gift to mankind. Therefore we are to say Glory to God in the highest!!!
It's all about John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
From Brenda and I, we pray that each one of you and your families have a very safe and Christ filled Christmas holiday.
Love in Christ Jesus, Ronnie and Brenda Miller www.themillersbiblestudy.com
12/22/2011
