Home Baked Christmas
Depression at Christmas is a real problem for a lot of people.
Depression at Christmas - survey results by Christine Webber and Dr David Delvin.
The NetDoctor survey on Depression at Christmas shows quite clearly what many of us have long suspected - that Christmas is difficult for vast numbers of people. It is a particular problem for depressed adults, who often feel worse as the festive season gets underway.
Over 45 per cent of those who responded said that they dread the festive season. Interestingly, New Year doesn’t fare any better than Christmas. The results of the survey show that many people find coping with Hogmanay and all the supposed jollification equally difficult. In fact 43 per cent of respondents said that they did not like New Year ’at all’.
And when asked: ’If you’re already depressed, does Christmas tend to make it worse?’ more than 57 per cent replied that it often or always does.
Reasons for Depression: The reasons for people disliking Christmas are varied. Top hates are:
· Christmas has become too commercial.
· A feeling that everyone is having a better time than you.
· Spending far too much money.
Other dislikes are:
· Eating too much
· Christmas parties
· It makes you miserable.
Many comments from depressed people show just how Christmas seems to add to their woes.
’I’m depressed at the moment and it just adds to the hopelessness’ said one user of the Depression Community.
Another said: ’It’s meant to have a religious meaning for me, so I feel guilty for dreading the whole thing - and this makes me feel even worse.’
Another issue for people is:
· Loss
Sadly, for many people, Christmas reminds them of some terrible loss: a father who died at Christmas, a love affair that ended, or a child lost to death. Clearly when these anniversaries coincide with Christmas, there is little prospect of the festive season bringing uncomplicated and undiluted joy.
There’s another sense of loss involving huge numbers of people these days. It is when their relationship has failed and their children are spending Christmas with the ex-partner. This is a modern phenomenon and it has changed the face of the traditional, family Christmas for hundreds of thousands of people.
So how do you find happiness in all the lights and greenery?
There is another way. Let’s read Luke 2:8-14. Today we’ll use the King James Version – because it is so familiar to us and any other version just doesn’t sound right.
Home Baked Christmas
Luke 2:8-2:14 KJV
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watchd 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.
God’s Gifts… PEACE ON EARTH
He offers forgiveness for the past
Peace with God
He gave us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins. In Jesus Christ, God gave us the opportunity for the forgiveness of our sins.
You see, we’ll never have peace with our fellow man until first we’re at peace with ourselves. And we can never really be at peace with ourselves until we’re at peace with God. And we can never be at peace with God until our sins have been forgiven.
Recalled Cookbook: (Illustration from MELVIN M. NEWLAND) In the Eastern part of the U.S. a cookbook was recalled. Now, I’ve never heard of a cookbook being recalled before. I’ve heard of automobiles being recalled, & toasters & baby seats. But I had never before heard of a cookbook being recalled.
This cookbook was recalled because one recipe had left out an important ingredient. And the producers of the book realized that if someone followed the directions of that recipe & left out that ingredient, that the ingredients they put together could actually blow up in their faces. So because of that hazard, the cookbook was recalled.
I thought to myself, "There must be a sermon there someplace." You see, God has given us the recipe for life. He says, "You want peace? Then here is the recipe. Find forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Live according to My rules & principles, the ingredients that make it all possible."
But if you leave out some of His ingredients, or stick in some of the ingredients of the world, then what happens? Life can blow up in your face. That is why there is so much depression & so much suicide & so much rejection. Because too many are following the wrong recipes for life.
God’s Gift
So God says, "Here’s my gift. It is not just the gift of a baby, but it is the offer of peace with God and men."
God’s Gifts… GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN
He offers love in the present
Rich or Poor
I think of the shepherds sitting out on the hillsides, watching sheep all night long. They were poor, with not much prospect for improving their lives. Life was hard & harsh for them, without much hope of it ever getting better.
And then, one glorious night, the angels appeared & made this wondrous announcement; "Unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord." And suddenly everything was changed. God had become real to them. God had come to help them, to be their Savior, to bring "peace on earth, good will to men."
At the other end of the spectrum were the wise men, Magi, people with power & authority & wealth. Yet there was emptiness in their lives as well. So when they saw the star, they came because they needed something, too.
Whether rich or poor, powerful or weak, whoever we are, we need help. And God has promised that when the Christ child enters our hearts & lives then we will receive His help. And when we’re helped by the Holy Spirit of God, then we develop a more sympathetic feeling towards one another, too.
Gas Cap: (Illustration from MELVIN M. NEWLAND) A friend of mine was starting to fill up his car with gasoline during Christmas week, & as he did, he dropped the gas cap. It rolled under the car, right in the middle of the dirt & water that had collected there. He bent down & looked at it for a moment, wondering what to do. Finally, he decided to finish filling up his gas tank, move the car forward, & then pick up the cap.
But before he could do that, a man in construction clothes saw the dilemma, got down on his knees, reached underneath the car, got the gas cap & handed it back to him. My friend stood there amazed, & then thanked him. The man responded with a smile & a "Merry Christmas, & then went on his way.
At Christmas time we seem to be more sensitive to one another, don’t we? So we go around picking up gas caps, or reaching into our pockets for money to help some one in need, or delivering food to someone who is hungry, because Christmas reminds us that God has reached down to help us. And now we want to help one another.
Maybe there is more good in us than we give ourselves credit for. Maybe we spend too much time beating ourselves over the head, telling ourselves how bad we are.
Oswald Chambers: "The way we continually talk about our own inabilities is an insult to our Creator. To complain over our incompetence is to accuse God falsely of having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining from God’s perspective those things that sound so humble to men. You will be amazed at how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful they are to Him. We say things such as, "Oh, I shouldn’t claim to be sanctified; I’m not a saint." But to say that before God means, "No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are opportunities I have not had and so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible." That may sound wonderfully humble to others, but before God it is an attitude of defiance."
God’s Gifts… HIS ONE AND ONLY SON
He offers us hope for the future
Hope is what we live on… every day. One final thing that God gave at Christmas time when He gave Jesus is hope for the future.
You know what kept the shepherds going? It was hope. God had made a promise to their people. He would one day send a Messiah, the Anointed One. And when the Messiah came everything would be all right again. And that hope burned in the hearts & lives of the people of Israel.
You know what kept the wise men going? It was hope. Every night they would go out & search the heavens, looking for that star of promise. And they knew when they saw it they must follow wherever it led them, because it was a sign from God, & it promised the birth of a king. So hope kept them going.
And God brings hope to us at Christmas. An impossible dream - "Peace on earth, good will toward men?" Maybe. Maybe there will always be wars & rumor of wars. Maybe the poor will always be hungry. And maybe we will always have to deal with the terror & crime & violence we see every day.
But there is one thing to keep us going. One day heaven is going to open, & God will come back, & the dream will be fulfilled of peace & good will for all eternity.
William Spurling: (Illustration from MELVIN M. NEWLAND) One of my favorite Christmas stories, you may have heard me tell it before, is about a 7th-grade boy by the name of William Spurling. William Spurling was big for his age, & a little slow mentally. But he was a good boy & all the kids liked him. In fact, they wanted him for a friend because he was big enough to take their part if they needed him.
When it came time for the Christmas program to be presented, William Spurling wanted to be a shepherd, but the teacher decided that he would make a better inn keeper than a shepherd since he was so big. So she gave him the task of being the rough, mean inn keeper.
When Mary & Joseph came to the inn & knocked on the door, William Spurling opened it. And when they asked for a place to stay, he said harshly, "There is no place for you to stay. There is no room in the inn." Joseph said, "But my wife is tired & weary & she is expecting a baby. Isn’t there just a small room somewhere where we could rest?"
Once again, William Spurling said, with roughness in his voice, "You’ll have to find a place somewhere else. There is no room in the inn." Once more Joseph pleaded just for some place for them to stay the night. Then there was a long pause, one of those pauses that is as embarrassing for the audience as it is for the cast. William Spurling had forgotten his next line.
Back behind the props you could hear the prompter saying, "No, be gone! No, be gone!" That was his next speech. Finally, William Spurling said, with softness in his voice, "No, be gone." Mary & Joseph sadly turned to leave. But as they did, suddenly William Spurling regained his voice & said, "Wait a minute! You can stay in my room, & I’ll sleep in the shed."
In the stunned silence that followed, the teacher thought the play was ruined, until she thought again of the words of a 7th-grade boy, who may have communicated the real truth of Christmas better than any. "No, you can stay in my room, & I’ll sleep in the shed."
Happiness comes from giving the gifts of God to others
Forgiveness for the past
Who are you holding a grudge against? What person do you nurture resentment towards. Let it go. Right now!
Is it your father who struck the blow that crippled you? Is it your mother? Is it your husband who wounded you? Is it your wife? Perhaps it was a brother or sister who rejected you. Was it your boss? Did you get unfairly blamed for some sin you committed – or maybe it was fair. It doesn’t matter – the damage has been done and the longer you hold on to it – the more you feed and nurture it – secretly, clandestinely in the quiet hours of the dark nights – the more it consumes and eats you from the inside to the outside.
Let it go! Take your hand – right now – clench it around the anger and the pain – do it! – now open your hand and let it go. This is the beginning of healing for you. Whether the relationship is ever restored or not – your forgiveness is the beginning.
Love in the present
What are you offering of yourself to others this year?
We at Meridian Christian Church offer our second annual Christmas Breakfast at the Okemos Big Boy - why? We have three motives
1) No one should be alone Christmas Day.
2) Community see the church as a source of selfless love for others
3) Opportunity to reach out with the message of hope in Jesus Christ
All of these speak to loving people - right now!
Hope for the future
Jesus Christ is the hope of the nations
MCC ministry – Christmas offering
November was a rough month for a lot of people – attendance was up but our tithes and offerings were down…
Pray for the ministry, support it with your tithes and offerings – I humbly ask that you support this ministry with your tithes and offerings.
You cannot give what you have not received
Here is the kicker… To give the gifts of God and to enjoy the Happiness – you have to accept the gifts of God – from Him.
God offers that gift again this morning, & He waits to see what you will do. I pray that you will receive Him with open arms of love as we extend His invitation & we stand & sing.
