Getting Past the Glitter
# 1 - Thinking Differently about Christmas
Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:15-16
November 28, 2004
Introduction
Ah, it’s Christmas season. The air’s getting colder, and the snow’s about to fly, and our thoughts turn to the meaning of Christmas - lots of loot.
Not really, at least I hope not among us. Our thoughts should turn to Jesus and His humble birth in Bethlehem.
I read about a church sign that says,
"Merry Christmas to our Christian friends. Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends. And to our atheist friends, good luck."
SOURCE: Jeff Strite, Church of Christ at Logansport, Logansport, IN. Contributed by: SermonCentral PRO.
You know something, I like Christmas, and I’m looking forward to the whole time between now and then, and anticipating what God has in store for my family and me in the next few weeks.
I think He has some spiritual blessings in store for us, and you, and I think He has some material blessings in store for us, and you, in the form of gifts and such.
And you know what else I like? The decorations. Now, I don’t like putting them up, I’ll be honest. But I like watching them go up, and I like looking at them.
When I’m driving down the streets, I like the festiveness that the decorations bring out. And I get this nice, warm feeling inside, despite the cold weather we get this time of year.
But would you agree that Christmas is so much more than the decorations, so much more than the glitter, as wonderful as that is?
Isn’t Christmas supposed to be about Christ? Yes, but here’s the catch. We say that, especially as we approach the holiday, but how many of us actually make this the centerpoint of how we think about the holiday?
How many of us make this the centerpoint of how we speak about Christmas - not just about baby Jesus, but about what Jesus’ birth accomplished and set into motion?
How many of us make this the centerpoint of how we "do" Christmas, with all its trappings and temptations of materialistic hungering?
And how many of us make this the centerpoint of how we "live" Christmas, making the meaning of Christmas something that lives and breathes in us, affecting how we live throughout January through November?
Well, that’s where we are going these next few weeks. I want us to become people who go about Christmas differently than our world and society would have us go about it.
Romans 12:2 is our theme verse for these next four Sundays as I address the issue about going about things differently this Christmas.
And my hope is that it won’t just be for Christmas - but that it will become a lifestyle for us, because I think that healthy, authentic followers of Christ will exhibit these things year-round.
Please read this verse aloud with me, okay?
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
You might remember that a couple summers ago we did a four-week series on Biblical stewardship, and this was also the theme verse for that series.
It’s not a giving verse. Or is it? We established the fact that if Christians handle their money the way the world handles it, then we are not honoring God with it.
Romans 12:2 is also not a Christmas verse. Or is it? I want to submit to you that if Christians go about Christmas the same way the world goes about it, then we are not honoring God.
Am I saying we shouldn’t do the Christmas tree thing or give gifts, or sing Christmas carols? No, I’m not saying that. I enjoy those things as much as the next person, and done in the proper perspective, they’re just fine.
The problem is that most people, and dare I say, most people who call themselves Christians, don’t do these things with the proper perspective.
So it’s my hope that today you will hear something that you can take and make a permanent part of your life, not just something we think of between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
And today, as we look at getting past the glitter, I want us to look at the idea of thinking differently about Christmas.
The Scripture passage that forms the basis of what I want to share to day is
1 John 2:15-16 -
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.
I want to give you three "R’s" to help us think differently about Christmas. I don’t know that you’ll hear anything new this morning, but I’m hopeful that you will be reminded in such a way that you actually do something about how you observe Christmas.
So let’s turn out attention to the question of how we can think differently about Christmas, shall we? The first "R" on our way to think differently about Christmas is to...
Re-assess your loyalties.
The world says that, especially during this holiday season, we should subscribe to the idea that Christmas is all about gift-giving, and that means spending all the money you have, and money you don’t have, in order to get the newest and best thing on the market, whatever that is, to prove your love to someone.
And that we should do everything possible to let our loved ones know what we want without actually begging for it.
Then if we don’t get it, we are disappointed. Hey, we’re all that way. Even pastors can fall into that mind-set. And listen - I want to get the best gifts I can afford for my family, make no mistake. But even during the times I have been unable to get the gifts I would have liked to give, we celebrated Christmas.
When I talk about going against the grain of Christmas, this is one of the foundational ideas we have to get into ourselves.
The world’s idea of Christmas, regardless of what they say, is giving and getting, but only in a material sense. But Jesus, and the Bible as a whole, have a different view on the materialism involved with Christmas nowadays.
Listen to Matthew 6:24 -
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
What’s that got to do with anything? Well first of all, can anyone here tell me that Christmas, especially the way America does it has nothing to do with money? Of course not! It’s all about money!
So if all your thoughts about Christmas are centered on what you can or can’t accomplish because of the money involved, you have bought into the world’s idea of Christmas.
And I want to challenge you to change that thinking. Decide this year that you will serve Christ, not the shopping malls!
God’s idea of Christmas is that a Savior has been born. A savior that came to die to set us free from sin and death. A savior that wants to live in us and make us people who really love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves, and not just talk about it.
A savior who would rather die than see people suffer for their sins. A savior who chose to take on a human form so He could experience firsthand what we go through, and still He chose to go through the agony of the cross.
If that’s not your idea of Christmas, then you’ve got it wrong.
Here’s a test question for you: are you loyal to the world’s idea of Christmas, or God’s?
If it’s not God’s idea, then you are serving the wrong master - the world and the money it runs on.
Again, I’m not opposed to the gift-giving aspect. I’m just saying that the Biblical focus of Christmas is something else entirely.
To think differently about Christmas, you need to re-assess your loyalties. I pray that you will choose loyalty to God and His idea of Christmas.
The second "R" on our way to thinking differently about Christmas is to...
Re-evaluate your desires.
If there is probably one emotion that comes to the forefront of many people at Christmas time, it’s greed. You’ve seen it, in both children and adults. And why not? We’re told to expect things for Christmas, regardless of the giver’s ability to provide it.
Thankfully, this is not the case with all people, and I hope it’s not the case with anyone here.
And I’m confident that while many of us here today are not greedy, there is probably no question that we all have desires about what we would like to see under the tree this year.
Am I right?
But how about looking at our desires through the lens of Scripture. Are our desires Scriptural or selfish?
Do our hopes for material gifts outweigh our hopes that everyone in our sphere of influence will have enough to eat this Christmas, or be able to provide gifts for their children?
What about the single parents you know? Do they have enough to help their children enjoy the holiday even though Mom or Dad isn’t around?
Or what about the military spouses left here while the husband or wife spends the holiday thousands of miles away from home, not even sure they’ll live to see their families again, let alone another Christmas.
When you think about what you desire for Christmas, do friends and relatives without Christ come to mind?
See where I’m going here? So here’s the question: Are your desires self-centered or God-centered?
Why is this so important? Look back at verse 16 of our passage for today:
...the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.
We need to give our desires over to God.
Are you willing to say to God, "God, I’ve fallen into the trap of believing what the world tells me about what Christmas is all about, and I need You to reform my desires."
Do that this week - do it before you leave the service today, and really mean it, determining to take real action that makes a difference.
But to do this, we need to re-evaluate our desires, to see if they are in line with God.
The third "R" on our way to thinking differently about Christmas is to...
Re-affirm your commitment to love the
Father.
Back in verse 15 we read that...
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Now let me set something straight. This verse is not saying that if we love the world, the Father does not love us. That is just not the case. The Father loves us regardless of what we do. That doesn’t mean He loves what we do, because sin is sin no matter who is doing it, whether they follow Christ or not.
This verse is saying that love for the world prevents us from loving the Father.
Remember when we looked at the verse where Jesus said you cannot serve two masters?
This is a reaffirming that your love and loyalty goes to the Father rather than the world and its ideals.
In Luke 10:27 we find some other words of Jesus -
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind."
I hate to tell you this, but you cannot love the world, and you cannot love what the world says about Christmas, and love the Father. It’s just not possible.
At least not with the depth of love that Jesus says we are to have.
So here’s the question: When was the last time you spoke your love for the Father in front of other people?
When was the last time someone heard from your lips that you love the Father and desire to live for Him, come hell or high water?
When was the last time someone outside of your immediate surroundings heard you say that?
Not in an obnoxious way, but in a way that communicates clearly where your priorities are.
Are you willing to look for and take the opportunities that come your way? Are you brave enough to ask God for some of those opportunities? Be careful - that’s the kind of prayer God likes answering.
I’d like to challenge you to speak out this Christmas about your love for the Father.
I double-dog dare ya.
Re-assess your loyalties. Re-evaluate your desires. And Re-affirm your love for the Father.
That is how we begin to think differently about Christmas.
Conclusion
The legend is told of the time Satan and his demons were having a Christmas party. As the demonic guests were preparing to depart, one grinned and said, "Merry Christmas, your majesty!" At that, Satan replied with a growl, "Keep it merry my friend. If they ever get serious about it, we’ll all be in trouble." Contributed by: Jason Duncan (SermonCentral.com)
Again, I’m certainly not against enjoying the Christmas season. My real name is not Ebenezer Scrooge. We should enjoy the holiday.
But we cannot let our enjoyment take us away from the real focus of what Christmas should be about.
Look again at our theme verse, Romans 12:2 -
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Look, I’m just like you. I like the material aspect of Christmas - I really do. I’d be lying to you if I tried to give the impression that I’m above all that, because it’s just not true.
It’s hard to get away from it, and it takes decisive effort to tear your mind away from the world’s idea of Christmas and submit yourself to God’s ideas about Christmas. And so I don’t come to you not being able to relate.
Here’s my prayer for you. It’s also my prayer for me. I’m praying that God would transform me by renewing my mind regarding Christmas.
I’m praying that God would transform you by renewing your mind regarding Christmas.
When we get our thinking in line with God’s ideals about Christmas, then an amazing thing happens. We don’t care so much about beating the crowds at the mall. We don’t care so much about getting just the right sweater.
And we don’t care so much about receiving just the right gift, and we don’t care so much about someone’s motive about giving us something or not giving us something.
Why, because our focus is not on the gift-giving, but on the Savior who made Christmas possible.
And when this focus is right, then we won’t fall into the trap of loving the world.
We will be thinking differently about Christmas. Let’s pray.
