From the Desk of Pastor D.
 | As we prepare to celebrate yet another Christmas in the hopes that it will be meaningful and filled with wonder, we are often aware that Christmas comes and goes and the expectations for the season go unfulfilled. It begs the question, “What is the true meaning of Christmas?” |
A film that has touched my heart over the years regarding the meaning of Christmas is called “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” starring Mickey Rooney and Scott Grimes. It’s the story about a retired New York detective who strikes a heavenly bargain to keep a promise to his grandson to experience the “Christmas spirit” in New York City. The story is far from Biblical, but it captures the desire of the human heart to know joy and peace and love, especially at this time of year. As heartwarming as the story is, it remains flawed as “Poppa” (Mickey Rooney) shouts, “Christmas is not about our making anything, it is about our need and God’s deed on our behalf.”
A disturbing book called “The Death of Christmas” which appeared in Chicago many years ago, exposes its readers to a man in jail, a child in a charity hospital, and a woman in a psychiatric ward. All have been told that Christmas is a time to be with your family at home, so for all three, Christmas is “dead.”
As you prepare for Christmas, look around you, and look into a mirror. Don’t be deceived by tinsel and sacred music. See beyond the laughter of a Christmas party. Don’t be influenced by the number of gifts under the tree or cards in the mail. None of these things show that Christmas is alive and well.
A disturbing book called “The Death of Christmas” which appeared in Chicago many years ago, exposes its readers to a man in jail, a child in a charity hospital, and a woman in a psychiatric ward. All have been told that Christmas is a time to be with your family at home, so for all three, Christmas is “dead.”
As you prepare for Christmas, look around you, and look into a mirror. Don’t be deceived by tinsel and sacred music. See beyond the laughter of a Christmas party. Don’t be influenced by the number of gifts under the tree or cards in the mail. None of these things show that Christmas is alive and well.
| Be honest with yourself. Does celebrating Christmas make you happy? Does it add a financial burden or overload an already overloaded schedule? Does Christmas remind you of loneliness? Does the season emphasize the separation of loved ones by countless miles or the absence of former loved ones who have been removed by death, misunderstanding or mistrust? Because Christmas is supposed to be a happy time, many people become miserable. They feel guilty for not being filled with joy in the season when everyone is saying, “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Holidays!” |  |
As you analyze any unhappiness you have because of Christmas, you will understand what you expect of the holiday.
Christmas does not mean you have to be in your own home with your own family. Christmas is about a young couple away from home, so far away they knew no one to stay with and spent the day in a barn. And Christmas is about shepherds who were at work, away from their families. Above all, Christmas is about God’s Son, who left a home in heaven to come to earth.
Christmas does not mean, “everything’s going to turn out just fine.” Mary and Joseph had to go into exile in Egypt to avoid the army. The baby started a trip that led to a cross and a grave.
Christmas does not mean that you receive, “just what I always wanted.” The shepherds came to Bethlehem empty-handed. The Wise Men brought very nice gifts, but these were “exchanged” for more practical needs. And God’s gift of His Son to the world was not what it wanted; what it needed, yes, but not what it wanted.
Christmas based on sentimentality and twinkling lights may provide a warm feeling for a moment, but not joy for a lifetime.
Christmas does not mean you have to be in your own home with your own family. Christmas is about a young couple away from home, so far away they knew no one to stay with and spent the day in a barn. And Christmas is about shepherds who were at work, away from their families. Above all, Christmas is about God’s Son, who left a home in heaven to come to earth.
Christmas does not mean, “everything’s going to turn out just fine.” Mary and Joseph had to go into exile in Egypt to avoid the army. The baby started a trip that led to a cross and a grave.
Christmas does not mean that you receive, “just what I always wanted.” The shepherds came to Bethlehem empty-handed. The Wise Men brought very nice gifts, but these were “exchanged” for more practical needs. And God’s gift of His Son to the world was not what it wanted; what it needed, yes, but not what it wanted.
Christmas based on sentimentality and twinkling lights may provide a warm feeling for a moment, but not joy for a lifetime.
Christmas in all its joy comes to us when we take a moment to view those around us as people for whom Christ came. Christmas in all its peace comes to use when we ponder God's gift of full and complete pardon in Christ. Christmas in all its love comes to us when we ponder the reality that God is for us and not against us. Christmas is very much alive and well for those who take a moment to ponder the celebration that is on-going before the throne of the One who came to die, and lives that we might never die.
May this Christmas be for you and yours a time to ponder the love of God in Christ Jesus!
Amen
In Him,
Pastor D
May this Christmas be for you and yours a time to ponder the love of God in Christ Jesus!
Amen
In Him,
Pastor D
