Charles Broadrick sent me this list of things that feel good to experience or just think about:
Laughing so hard your face hurts.
No lines at the Super Walmart.
Getting mail from a friend.
Taking a drive on a pretty road.
Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
Hot towels out of the dryer.
The smell of pine trees in the forest
A good conversation.
A walk on the beach.
Finding a $20 bill in your coat from last winter.
Running through sprinklers.
Having someone tell you that they love you.
Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
Having someone play with your hair.
Sweet Dreams.
Swinging on swings.
Winning a really competitive game.
Making chocolate chip cookies.
Spending time with close friends.
Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends.
Holding hands with someone you care about.
Watching the expression on someone’s face as they open a much desired
present from you.
Watching the sunset.
Seeing the full moon.
Getting out of bed every morning and thanking God for another beautiful day.
Luke 2:1-20
Every year at this time of year most of us get busy decorating and shopping. We plan family gatherings and eat more than we normally do. It’s all part of a tradition that goes a long way back. Most well loved traditions become embellished with time. Sometimes the embellishments completely hide the original meaning. I heard about a very wealthy man who’s wife died. He wanted to build a burial place for her body to honor her. It was to be a fabulous building. As the months passed the man became so engrossed in the building project that he forgot why he was building it. Sometimes embellishments just confuse the meaning. I saw a manger seen recently with Santa Clause looking over the baby Jesus.
Another manger scene had all the characters as animals. Even the baby in the manger was a baby animal. I guess if you don’t believe in Jesus, that might be attractive, but personally, I don’t think that is even cute.
Have you ever stopped to think and appreciate why we have this season? I grew up being warned against celebrating Jesus birth at Christmas. There are scriptures that remind us of the dangers of observing special holy days: Paul wrote to the Galatians…
Gal 4:9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.
The Galatians here are seeking righteousness by going back to observing the Old Testament feast days and Sabbaths, and Paul sees this as an abandonment of the Christian faith. These verses have been applied by some to condemn the celebration of Jesus birth, particularly at Christmas. A careful look at these verses makes that application unfounded. It’s hard to say what Paul would say about the way we do Christmas today based on these verses. I’m not so sure he would have as hard a time with the celebration of Jesus birth as he would some of the other embellishments of this season. Mythical matters that have not truth at all, do these have a place in the Christian life while Jesus birth is not to be celebrated?
In another place Paul instructs: Rom 14:5 One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
Col 2:16 Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Later in that same letter God’s word says: Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the father through him. 3:17.
But let me return to my original question: Have you considered lately why we have this season? I can assure you this, if Jesus had not come, things would be a lot different this time of year. The influence of Christ in history is part of why many of us have Sundays off. It’s part of why Christmas and Easter have found a place on our calendar. Christ has influenced the world. Even our calendars reflect that! What year is this? Why? Jesus Christ is why. Even if the math is wrong, it’s still Jesus who is reflected in it.
Imagine living in a Muslim country. Fridays are their worship days. Do you think they gather for Christmas? St. Nick isn’t even in their vocabulary. Think about what you’ve been taught about Christmas. If we strip Christ from the calendar and from the seasonal celebrations, who will fill the void? If Jesus is not there, who will be? Is this what God’s word teaches us to do? Would that Jesus be the center of every day and every hour and every minute for every nation under heaven! When God’s word speaks of heaven it says that day and night, they never cease to give praise to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb! Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”
As we consider this question of why we have this season and men choosing to celebrate the birth of Christ as the reason, let’s look at what the Bible says about Jesus birth and why Jesus came to earth.
Why did Jesus come here?
Jesus was born to be our king. John 18:37
Jesus was born to be our servant and to give his life as a ransom for us. Matthew 20:28
Jesus was born to be our Savior. Matthew 1:21
Jesus was born to take away our sins. 1 John 3:5
Jesus was born to be our brother. Hebrews 2:10-14
Jesus was born to be our high priest. Hebrews 2:17-18
Jesus was born to give us eternal life. John 3:16-17
Essentially, Jesus came to us so that we could come to him.
Is that not worth celebrating? The Shepherds did, the wise men did, the angels did, can we? Absolutely! Praise God that Jesus came!
