Hints for a Hassle-free Holiday
Various Scriptures
Introduction
Well, here we are. The advent season is on us, and it’ll be Christmas before we know it.
You wouldn’t know it by the weather, but it’s true nonetheless.
And while for some people, the Christmas season brings joy and happiness, for others it brings headaches and hassles.
And for some others, it brings heartache with the remembrance of loved ones who have passed away.
I wish I had the cure for all that heartache, but I don’t.
However, I would like to offer a few suggestions to make the holidays a little more bearable, and maybe even downright enjoyable for those of you who aren’t especially fond of Christmas time.
This morning I want to give you three things to aid you in having a hassle-free holiday. My purpose is to shine a little perspective into our preparation and celebration, so that we can go into the season with the right focus.
And the first thing I want to suggest is that we..
I. Gain the right focus.
The world would like us to focus on any number of things during this time of year. Spending, gifts, charity, and all sorts of stuff.
But the right focus is not the heart-warming episodes of once-a-year selflessness, or other things the world refers to as “the spirit of Christmas.”
The right focus is GRACE. God’s riches at Christ’s expense.
Please turn with me to Romans chapter 5, verse 8. If you are using the Bibles in the seats, this can be found on page 798.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
You see, folks, if it weren’t for the fact that God intervened in the affairs of men, we would be doomed in light of the present, and hopeless in light of eternity.
But God has acted, and we can celebrate not only the birth of the Savior, but everything that birth brings later, including His horrible death and glorious resurrection.
So how do we gain the right focus? I’d like to suggest three ways:
A. Remember – how you were saved and
how Christ has changed your life.
Keep in mind that Jesus had you in mind when He was hanging on that cross, and you’ll be a lot less likely to look down on someone else.
And keep it in mind when you’re fighting the lines at the shopping centers.
That person who cut in front of you or grabbed the sweater you were going for is a person Jesus died for, just like you.
So remember. Next…
B. Renew – your love for Him.
Express your desire to walk more closely and drink of His many blessings. Think on the things that drew you to Him in the first place, and let His Holy Spirit fill you with a renewed sense of love and joy in Him.
Make the determination that you will spend more time with Him in the Word and prayer.
And then,…
C. Recommit – to serving the One who
gave Himself for you.
I’m convinced, because of how it’s happened in my own life, that if you make the effort to remember what Christ has done for you and renew your love for Him, you can’t help but give your life back to Him in service, no matter what your station in life.
Invite Him to use you in whatever situation you find yourself, and then let Him do it.
He might surprise you, not only in how He uses you, but in the results of that service.
Gain the right focus of the season by remembering, renewing, and recommitting.
Then when you have gained the right focus, you need to diligently…
II. Guard the right focus.
In the rush of getting everything ready for Christmas, the real reason for Christmas sometimes gets pushed aside.
And I think we can learn a lesson from Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Please turn now with me to Luke 2:19, which is on page 725 of the Bibles in the seats.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
I want to emphasize the word, “pondered.” Pondering goes beyond the idea of just giving something a little thought.
It goes beyond a simple, “Wow, that’s nice.”
It takes these things to heart, allowing God to shape us and mold us in our reflections of what God is doing.
I would guess that as Mary sat there listening to the shepherds tell their incredible story of the angelic visit in the fields, she couldn’t help but think back to her own experience with an angel.
And she probably thought of the words of the angel Gabriel:
"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."
And now, her Son was the source of wonder and amazement as these lowly shepherds rushed out to spread the word concerning the Baby.
And Mary pondered these things. She took time to reflect on what was happening and how God was working through her to bring about the salvation of mankind.
So how do we keep or guard the right focus? Again, let me suggest three ways. The first is to…
A. Take time.
Slow down enough to listen to the voice of God as you read the Word, pray, fellowship, and worship.
Even listening to Christmas carols can add a special dimension to your times with God.
I can remember to this day how God used, of all people, Jim Nabors, to get my attention to the wonder of Christmas and how it was just part of the wonderful process of saving me.
I was a freshman in college, visiting my grandparents near Watertown.
I was a Christian, but didn’t really know what we call the “joy of salvation,” or that wonderful realization of all that God had done for me.
But my grandma had Jim Nabors on the record player (that was something that played these large vinyl discs with grooves – way before CD players!), and his rich baritone voice carried me away, and I felt a joy and peace I had never known before.
But if I hadn’t taken time to reflect on the words of those carols, I might just have missed it.
My times in the Bible and prayer took on a whole new dimension from that time forward.
The lesson here is not necessarily to listen to Jim Nabors albums, because even Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, or Mel Torme will do the job.
The lesson is that we need to take the time necessary to hear the voice of God during these busy times.
Next,…
B. Take inventory.
Count your blessings. No, really. I mean it. We sang about it last week, but we need to get past the point that it’s just a neat little hymn we like to sing.
Think about all God has done for you. The book of James says that every good thing comes from the heavenly Father.
“Easy for you to say, Preacher! You’re not going through what I’m going through!”
That may be. And I don’t want to minimize your situation.
But I think I would be hard-pressed to not find something to be thankful for, even in the midst of pain and heartache.
I’ve been there, and I can tell you that God has a wonderful way of reminding us of His blessings, if you are truly willing to let Him.
But be careful, because if you dwell too long on His blessings, you might just forget what it was that was hurting you, even if it’s only for a while.
And then,…
C. Take care.
Make an absolute determination that you will not let the hassles of the holidays crowd out the reason for the holiday.
Decide that you will add (or subtract) activity that will enhance the season rather than become a burden.
So that’s how you guard the right focus: Take time, take inventory, and take care.
Let’s move on now to the third main point, and that is to…
III. Give the right focus.
We are told over and over that this is the season for giving, and so I want to encourage you to give the right focus of the season to other people.
There are a number of ways to do that, and I want to highlight just three this morning. And the first is…
A. Exhibit the fruits of the Spirit.
It is especially crucial during this time of year that people see the difference in people who call themselves biblical Christians.
And the main difference lies in showing what God is doing in our lives, from the inside out.
I have Galatians 5:22-23 listed there in your bulletin, and I would like you to turn there as we continue this thought. This can be found on page 826 of the Bibles in the seats.
Please follow along as I read.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
As you think about the long lines at the mall, the noisy kids trying to get their picture taken with Santa, and tired sales clerks (hint, hint!), does it become obvious why we need to show these attributes of a God-changed life?
I determined a long time ago, that I was going to be the friendliest whatever, wherever I went.
I was going to be the friendliest customer at the restaurant, the friendliest customer at the check-out line, the friendliest co-worker, the friendliest sales clerk, or whatever.
And my reason was not that Dale Carnegie says that’s a good thing to do in his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
It’s because the world dishes out enough grumpiness and impatience without so-called Christians adding to it, amen?
Hitting home? Good.
When we put the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives on display (and I don’t mean in a haughty manner – haughtiness is not a fruit of the Spirit!) we let people see that God really does make a difference in our lives, and it many times opens the door to sharing the life-changing gospel of Christ, which leads to our next point…
B. Take advantage of the opportunities to
share Christ.
I ask God to allow me to share the gospel with any who point out a favorable characteristic they see in my life.
At Herberger’s, this is not always possible, so I give away my cards and invite them to contact me.
If God allows you to interact with someone on a spiritual level, take advantage of it.
Turn with me to Ephesians 5:15-16, which is on page 829 of the Bibles in the seats.
Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
People are more likely to be thinking of Christ during this season more than any other time of year, and we can offer them a real live plan of salvation to make Christmas not only more special, but eternal.
If you are not comfortable sharing the gospel, give them one of the invitation cards back there, or ask them if they would like me to contact them. I’d love to do that.
But take advantage of those opportunities to tell people that you are the way you are because of the working of God in your life.
Folks, you need to understand that so many people are looking for a reason to come to Christ, and the main reason they are looking for is that Jesus really does make a difference in the lives of people today just like He did in Bible times.
Take advantage of those times.
The third way to give the right focus is to…
C. Select gifts that point to Christ.
I am not opposed to giving sweaters and long underwear and stuff. I’m also not opposed to giving nifty toys to kids.
But I would like to challenge you to think of gifts to give that will draw someone closer to Christ, either to take Him as Savior, or to live for Him as Master.
I’m a big believer in books, Bibles, and Christian music. Those make great gifts.
Maybe it would be something like sending someone to the East River Couple’s retreat coming up in January, or the Men’s retreat.
There are lots of options. Give it some thought and ask God for ideas. I’m sure He’s got plenty of them!
So exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, take advantage of the opportunities to share Christ that present themselves, and select gifts that point to Christ.
Conclusion
Well, we’ve covered a lot of ground today. And I reckon that most of us here today can identify at least one of the ways to have a hassle-free holidays and work on it.
Maybe you need to spend some time guarding your focus, or maybe you need to give the right focus.
I hope you have found something practical to use to cover those needs.
But maybe some of you here today need to gain the right focus, and not just to re-gain it, but to actually gain it in the first place.
That happens when we look past the holiday and see the reason for it.
Friends, Jesus was more than just a little baby in a manger.
He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who spent few years on earth so we could spend eternity in heaven.
He came here to pay the penalty for our sins so we wouldn’t have to. And make no mistake, you’re a sinner who Jesus died for.
I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but the Bible says that all have sinned, and that includes you and it includes me.
So reflect on the idea that Jesus came here for one purpose, and that was to die for you and me. And by doing so, and rising from the dead, He made heaven available for anyone who calls on Him for forgiveness and eternal life.
The Bible says that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
And how do you call on Him? I’m glad you asked! In fact, one of my most favoritest activities in the whole world is telling people how they can know for sure they’re going to heaven.
You call on the Lord by first of all, admitting you’re a sinner and turning from them with God’s help, believing He died for you and rose from the grave.
Then you ask Him for the forgiveness you so desperately need and for the eternal life He wants you to have, trusting Him to keep His promise.
And friend, that’s the kind of prayer God loves to answer.
As we close the service, I am going to pray a prayer that you can say along with me in your heart, so you can take advantage of the opportunity today.
And for the rest of you, may God richly bless you as you seek to shine the light of Christ in search of the hassle-free holiday.
Let’s pray.
