It’s here! Everyone gets excited as the holiday season approaches. We live in anticipation of the family, friends and memories, but by the time it’s all over, we’re pulling our hair out. Others of us, even before the season starts are already feeling like the woman who wrote to Rev. Billy Graham for advice asking, “Please help me have a good attitude about Christmas this year. The holidays are always such a hassle, and I’m already beginning to dread them.” That’s because we know our holiday often ends up like Arnold Swarzenegger and Sinbad in the film Jingle All the Way (show film clip here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTcFsdIJ_Xo ).
The holidays are not a time to be dreaded, but that’s exactly how too many of us respond as they approach. I think as we reflect on Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he offers some practical advice we can follow to help us have the best holiday year ever…and, it works pretty well the rest of the year, too.
The first bit of advice that Paul offers that will help us survive the season is “think to thank.” Paul says in verse 3: “Every time I think of you I give thanks to my God.” There is something incredibly fulfilling found when we offer gratitude. We’re headed this week toward Thanksgiving, so it just seems appropriate that the holidays begin with Thanksgiving. That’s so counter to our culture where stores go straight from Halloween to Christmas, and even some stores have Christmas decorations out before Halloween has passed. If we begin with gratitude, it helps to set the tone for the entire season. Paul mentions a number of things for which to be thankful.
First, we can be thankful that we are not alone. In verse 5, Paul says he is grateful for the “partnership” he has shared with the Philippians. We can remember and be grateful that we’re not the only ones stressing out over the holidays. That seems to be the modus operandi these days. It’s all about hurry, stress and anxiety and it’s not supposed to be that way. Unfortunately, the holidays are also one of the loneliest times of the year, too. As we are grateful that we have the body of Christ that grounds us, it becomes imperative that we don’t allow others to be alone. There are those who have lost loved ones in the past year and this will be their first holiday season without them. There are others who have gone through a divorce, or in the midst of a separation. Still others are experiencing the empty nest syndrome for the first time, and all these persons will experience anxiety and loneliness. We need to be grateful for the body of Christ that allows us to partner together to share God’s grace.
Second, we can be thankful that God is still working. Paul says in verse 6, “I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” God is still working on us. That’s good news, and that’s one reason I’m Wesleyan. John Wesley taught about sanctification, which is just a big, fancy word meaning God is still working on us. Through the Holy Spirit, God convicts us and corrects us to make us more like himself. Honestly, there are a few times in the past I needed the Holy Spirit to work on me, especially when I was in a busy store trying to buy Christmas gifts. It’s then I’ve needed patience. I hate waiting in line when it’s not the holidays. It’s in those times that I’m grateful that He’s not done with me yet. It’s in times like those that I’m reminded how much work He still has to do.
I also need to be reminded that if God’s not done with me yet, there’s a better than fair chance that He’s not done with that person working on the other side of the cash register? We need to cut others some slack during the holiday season. I mean, seriously, how great can it be standing on your feet 8 hours a day listening to blip, blip, blip, putting up with harried and impatient people like me, and all for the princely sum of $ 8 an hour? Instead of showing my impatience, I need to express my appreciation for the job they are doing. It’s amazing how a change of attitude can change the environment around us. We need to “think to thank” as we go through the holiday season. Start the season with gratitude. That only makes sense.
A second piece of advice we can glean from Paul’s letter is this season (and every season) we should “live to love.” Paul says in verse 8, “God knows how much I love you,” and in verse 9, “I pray that your love for each other will overflow.” Love is the essence of the heart of a disciple. Isn’t that what Jesus said? Mark’s Gospel, chapter 12, remember the encounter Jesus had with a scribe who asked him the greatest commandment? His answer was “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
I read a prayer the other day that brings this point home much better than I can. It’s titled “The Best Prayer I’ve Heard in a Long Time.” Listen to this prayer:
Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic
last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing
home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few
precious moments with her children.
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man
who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student,
balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting
his student loans for next semester.
Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addiction that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.
Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love. Matt 5:44
That’s a poignant reminder that love conquers all. And, this is the beginning of the season when God showed His love in a very special way…by putting on human flesh and living our lives so that we might live his life. We should live to love, and we can survive any season of the year.
Finally, I see Paul encouraging us to “commit to Christ-likeness.” Look at verses 10 – 11 again:
“For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”
On every day, we’re supposed to desire to be Christ-like in our attitude and actions. What really matters, according to Paul, is our character, and that is to reflect Christ’s character. Paul says be “filled with the fruit of your salvation.” What is the fruit of our salvation? Paul answers that question, too, but in Galatians 5:22—love (we’ve already talked about that one), joy (this is the season of joy), peace (it is the Prince of Peace we celebrate), patience (when we’re standing in that long line), kindness (look for ways to be kind to others—help someone carry their packages to their car), goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those characteristics are the fruit of the Spirit…and the fruit of our salvation.
We have to commit to Christ-likeness before we enter the fray. We begin with the end in sight. Like the person who was standing in front of the mirror at the weight loss clinic. The person walked over to the mirror and drew a silhouette of what he wanted to look like at the end of the journey. He set the goal before he began. We must set the goal before we begin.
We also have to know what is important in life. Our problem? We’re too easily distracted. Jesus was able to keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus was often challenged by the Pharisees, Sadducees and other religious leaders of his day. Anytime they asked him a question, he always focused on the deeper matters behind the question. The Pharisees asked, “Should we pay taxes to Caesar?” And, Jesus answered, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but give to God what is God’s.” And the Sadducees asked about the resurrection, and Jesus turned them back to the Scriptures. Jesus was able to focus on those things which were of most importance. If we’re Christ like, we won’t let our impatience, or even someone else’s impatience take our focus off love and patience and generosity. If we commit to Christ-likeness, we’ll remember it’s more important to show love, mercy and grace than it is to worry about being inconvenienced during the busy time of the year.
We have to begin with the goal in mind, though. Ruth Bell Graham, in her book Legacy of a Rat Pack, shares the story of an encounter with a young Indian student named Pashi. She spoke with Pashi about Christ, to which he replied, “I would like to believe in Christ, and many in India would like to believe; but we never have seen a Christian who was like Christ.”
A friend of Mrs. Graham told her to tell Pashi, “I'm not offering you Christians. I am offering you Christ.” No one ever will be excused for not believing in Christ on the basis of Christians’ lack of faithfulness. On the other hand, we should ask ourselves: “What does a person look like who says he or she is a follower of Christ?” “Should Christians be like Jesus Christ?” When we come to the end of the day, what do we want our day to look like? What character do we want exhibited? Those are the questions we must ask ourselves, and it’s good to ask them, not only during the holiday season, but every season…every day of our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Too often, we act as though we live in a tit-for-tat world, believing we have to give back what we get. I recall a story about my old friend, Boudreaux. One day Boudreaux, him, he was sittin’ in his coffee shop drinkin’ a pop, when dis grate big fella come in and knocks him off da stool. The big fella say, “Dat was a karate chop frum Korea.”
Boudreaux, him, he don't say nuttin’, he jus get back on his stool an take anudder drink frum his pop.
WHAM! Dat big fella knock Boudreaux down agin an’ say, “Dat was a judo chop frum Japan.” Boudreaux still don't say nuttin’, he jus get up an walk out of dat coffee shop.
Bout a hour later, Boudreaux come back in an witout sayin nuttin’, he walk up to dat big fella an WHACK! he knock dat big fella off his stool an knock him out cold.
Den Boudreaux tell da manager, “Mais, wen he wake tell him dat was a crowbar from da Home Depot.”
Boudreaux probably let the situation get the best of him. That’s not what we’re called to do or be as disciples of Jesus Christ. We’re called to gratitude, love and Christ-likeness. If we “think to thank,” “live to love,” and “commit to Christ-likeness” we’ll find ourselves on the other side of the holidays with our faith intact, and maybe we’ll have shown a little of God’s grace along the way.
