Trees, cocoa, candy, bows, fireplaces, mistletoe, toys, the nutcracker, caroling, lights, mangers, peace, and jolly men with beards. Doesn't it all sound romantic? Like something from a song or a greeting card?
But what if I said...
Idolatry, greed, pushing and shoving, law breaking, worry, stealing, gluttony, self-centeredness, and discord... hmmmmmmm.
Now, that's not something we'd want to put on a Christmas card, but does it now reflect a more accurate depiction of Christmas? In our culture, we can grab, whine, and lust, and everything is made okay by the time we wrap it all up with a big red bow. It all seems okay as long as we "remember the reason for the season." So we put our nativity sets out and attend our churches' candlelight Christmas Eve services.
As Christians, it's easy to become cheesy with our sayings of "wise men still seek him," "follow the star," "Happy Birthday, Jesus." All these statements hold truth, but we have beat them around so much that to a world of lost sinners, they could sound a lot like Charlie Brown's teacher.
"For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior..."
Did you hear that?
A SAVIOR!!!!
And we are in need of Him as much today as 2,000 years ago.
This Christmas, I am repenting. Repenting from my Christmas sins of discontent, greed, and the list goes on and on. No, Christ probably didn't come December 25, but I am not going to miss out on the celebration of His birth. Because He was born -- not in a place for a king as it should have been, but in a place where sacrifices might have been born. And that is just what He was, a sacrifice. A savior as a sacrifice -- unexpected but what we must have, because the ceramic one on your mantel won't save you. Nor will the spirit of goodwill and peace for a season of the year.
It is ONLY CHRIST!
Here is a poem that a teacher of mine read Sunday:
"A Labor of Love"
It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town
And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night
So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love
Now, that's not something we'd want to put on a Christmas card, but does it now reflect a more accurate depiction of Christmas? In our culture, we can grab, whine, and lust, and everything is made okay by the time we wrap it all up with a big red bow. It all seems okay as long as we "remember the reason for the season." So we put our nativity sets out and attend our churches' candlelight Christmas Eve services.
As Christians, it's easy to become cheesy with our sayings of "wise men still seek him," "follow the star," "Happy Birthday, Jesus." All these statements hold truth, but we have beat them around so much that to a world of lost sinners, they could sound a lot like Charlie Brown's teacher.
"For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior..."
Did you hear that?
A SAVIOR!!!!
And we are in need of Him as much today as 2,000 years ago.
This Christmas, I am repenting. Repenting from my Christmas sins of discontent, greed, and the list goes on and on. No, Christ probably didn't come December 25, but I am not going to miss out on the celebration of His birth. Because He was born -- not in a place for a king as it should have been, but in a place where sacrifices might have been born. And that is just what He was, a sacrifice. A savior as a sacrifice -- unexpected but what we must have, because the ceramic one on your mantel won't save you. Nor will the spirit of goodwill and peace for a season of the year.
It is ONLY CHRIST!
Here is a poem that a teacher of mine read Sunday:
"A Labor of Love"
It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town
And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night
So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love
Wow... the poem gave me chills... thanks for sharing. :)
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