Oh my goodness! Am I ready?

I've already heard it several times.

I bet you have, too.

We'll probably hear it many times between now and December 25th!

"Are you ready for Christmas?"

What the questioner really is saying is, "Have you mailed your cards or sent your emails?" "Have you decorated?" "Are you finished with your Christmas baking?" 

We meet ourselves coming and going, much like the Dunkin Donuts man in the commercials years ago. The season is hectic, and we call it the Christmas "rush." We tend to forget the reason for the Christmas celebrations. 

But there's another reason for my asking the question. We need to think about more than just our baking, or our cards, or our festive gatherings. We need to think about our attitudes. Have we said "I just can't get into the spirit?" 

What does Christmas, and the Christmas spirit, really mean? The Christmas story says "God became a human being. He expressed His love by living among us, walking and talking with us, and by dying for us." But what is the Christmas spirit?
It's an attitude, right?

So what are the right attitudes we ought to have so that Christmas can really happen in our homes and in our lives?

Let's look in Matthew:

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 23“Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he named Him Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)

Joseph doesn't stand there in the spotlight for very long.

We don't know an awful lot about him.

But I think that Joseph can teach us a lot about attitudes. 

And these can make Christmas real for us.

And can make us "ready" for Christmas.

Friday Slowdown

What if Christmas had not happened?

What if the first Grinch, Satan, had been successful in stopping God's plan?

No joy. No peace. No redemption.

Praise God! Our Savior did come to earth - He came to save us from our sins.

If Christmas never happened, part IV

If the very first Grinch, Satan, had been able to stop Christmas from coming; if he had thwarted God's plan . . . we've seen that there would probably be no celebrations. No redemption. No joy. 
Have you ever thought about the benefits of Christ and His followers on the world?

He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32, NASB)

Before that first Christmas, the world was a cruel place. It was dark with the depravity of man. Everything that Jesus touched, He transformed. From individuals to families to cities, cultures, and nations.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (II Corinthians 5:17)

Our world is better, because Jesus came. Think of the things that have transformed our world because of Christ, His kingdom, and His followers. Medical care and hospitals came about because of Christian compassion. Education for all became a theme for believers. Compassion for all, and help for the poor, the needy, the orphaned, and the homeless. Government of the people, for the people, and by the people. Freedom for all races, the right of all to vote. Some of the greatest works of art are based on the Bible and on biblical beliefs. Justice systems, moral codes, and codes of ethics. Almost universal knowledge of the "Golden Rule."

Of course, we can find fault with Christianity, and with those who will abuse the name of our Savior. Many will do wrong in the name of Christianity. And there are still dark systems and depraved people in this world. 

But the positive contributions to mankind are undeniable! All because Jesus, our Savior, was born in Bethlehem. Men's hearts were changed, and by God's power, they set out to change the world.

Christmas happened!

And we have a reason to serve. The greatest work a person can be engaged in is the work of the Lord. Whether we are at school, at work, on the farm or the street corner, at the store or in church -- wherever we are in the mission field that God has blessed us with . . . . we have a calling. We have a Great Commission to go and tell the story of Jesus and His love. Because of Christmas, we can share the greatest love story of all time!

Because of all that God has done for us, can we do any less? God knows everything we have ever done - and loves us anyway. Let's tell others of a Savior Who cares and can change lives. Let's tell others of a Father who blesses us with hope, with love, and with joy.

The Grinch (Satan) couldn't stop it!

Christmas happened!

Praise God!

If Christmas never happened, part III

If the "first Grinch," Satan, had succeeded, and there had been no Christmas, we have seen there would be no real celebrations, and there would have been no redemption for us.

We also would have no real joy in this dreary world.

Mean-ness. Sickness. Financial problems. Arrogant boss or co-workers. Food prices going up. Gasoline prices going up. Sinful habits that drag us down.

Many a sinful person has had their life be turned around. 

Because God is good.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, NIV)

Because God is love.

We love because he first loved us. (I John 4:19, NIV)

We've heard the story of the slave trader and ship captain, John Newton, who was never the same after his salvation.  "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me -- I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see." 

We've heard the stories other people tell of lives rescued from sin, addiction, and trials. Our own lives reveal God's love and grace: He reached down in love to change us. 

We have peace in a strife-filled world!

We have joy in the midst of dreariness and trials!

We rejoice not because another baby was born, but because life was born anew for all mankind. We rejoice because Christmas DID happen, and we have a Savior. A Savior Who knows us perfectly, but still loves us! He loves us in spite of our sin and wants to spend eternity with us! A God Who doesn't need us, but wants us! 

We rejoice because Christmas happened, because of our redemption. Before Him, life was me, myself, and I. It was "every man (or woman) for themselves." It was "dog eat dog." All of those old cliches fall away when a person is saved; something happens to a person when Jesus comes in.

Without Christmas, how could we have joy?

If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hoped only in this life [and this is all there is], then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied. (I Corinthians 15:19, AMP)

Jesus makes all the difference in the world.

So my soul shall rejoice in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation. (Psalm 35:9)

Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:18, NASB)

If there is no Virgin; if there is no Baby; if there is no cross or Calvary or Savior, if Christmas never happened, then we would be hopeless, indeed!

But the truth is that Christmas DID happen! And God's gifts to us include celebrations, redemption, and joy!

More to come -- tune in tomorrow! 

What if Christmas never happened, part II

What if the "first Grinch" (Satan) had succeeded?

What if Christmas wasn't Christmas?

We would have no "glad tidings" to celebrate . . . there'd be no rejoicing. All these years, Christmas has developed from a simple recognition of the birth of our Savior. Of course, it is unfortunate that it has grown into a super-commercialized season full of things that have very little to do with our Redeemer! Many of us keep trying to get back to the "reason for the season," and keep it a joyous time for thanking God Who sent His Son. We've added lots of stress and lots of hoopla and hassles to what could be a simple time of rejoicing -- celebrating the glad tidings that the angels sang. 

But there would be more consequences if there were no Christmas. If Satan had succeeded, there would be no redemption, no gospel, no Gift.

For all who depend on the Law [seeking justification and salvation by obedience to the Law and the observance of rituals] are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED (condemned to destruction) IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, SO AS TO PRACTICE THEM.” (Galatians 3:10, AMP) 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:17, NIV)

You see, we NEEDED a gift from God. We are sinful, fallen creatures. We are racked by the disease of sin, and we are condemned forever without Him.  We can see evidences of this fallen condition in our world, our acquaintances, and in our own lives each and every day.  If we are honest when we look at ourselves, we see "stuff" we don't like: rebelliousness, pride, greed, selfishness, uncontrolled passions, rage, anger, lusts . . . . the list goes on and on. We commit sin each day and there is no remedy within us for our condition.  Our conduct, our behaviors, our habits, and our choices reveal our sin nature. 

Each of us is lost. We are separated from God by the huge wall of our sin. 

We need the mercy of our holy God. We need His grace and compassion. We don't deserve it, but we surely do need it!

Christmas is the beginning of the mercy. Help started in Bethlehem. That's where the Gospel came to shepherds and an innkeeper (I kinda think he was a spectator in the stable, too, when the shepherds came. He would have to have been totally heartless to have stayed away. He might even have brought some soft cloths and some food for the weary couple.)

"The gift of God is eternal life through . . . " Through what? Religion? No. Santa Claus? Of course not. Government benefits? An emphatic "no!"

How about education? Financial stability? Our good morals and our kindness and good deeds?

Still no.

We need a Savior Who was (and is) willing to take away the curse of sin. We need the Gift from God, a Redeemer Who pays our debt. We need a God Who provides cleansing and Who then forgives and forgets our sins. 

This is not something that we can pay for. Not something we can purchase.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot. (I Peter 1:18-19, BSB)

This is the Gift of Christmas. This is the Savior Who came as a wee babe to Bethlehem. This gift could not have happened without the plan and will of our Father.

More tomorrow......

What if Christmas never happened?

I expect that all of us have seen the "old" Christmas video (wow, do I feel ancient....it was shown on television for the first time in 1966, which would make me how many years old.....oh, never mind!) of the Grinch who wanted to "steal" Christmas so that it wouldn't happen. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" became quite famous. 

But did you know he was not the first Grinch?

Satan is the first Grinch, and he has tried to stop Christmas from the very beginning. And he tries to steal its true meaning, today.

(Now, let me say at the outset that I'm not trying to say the date we celebrate, December 25, is the absolute certain date that Christ was born so many years ago. In fact, I will easily say that it might not be! But I'm going to let the scholars debate that, OK?

Because to me, it's not nearly as important what date it happened. The truly important thing is that it DID happen! I hear some heads nodding, so I will go back to my post.)

Since the first promise in the Garden of Eden, Satan has known about God's plan. He has known about the Messiah Who would come.

"And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15, NIV)

Since that time, Satan has tried to stop Jesus' birth. He corrupted the entire world, and all the people in it; it would need to be destroyed! But Satan wasn't counting on the fact that there was a righteous man still there . . . 

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. (Genesis 6:9b)

After that, Satan tried time and again to get rid of the children of Israel. For hundreds of years he tried to subjugate them, to destroy them, to stop that line that led to the Babe of Bethlehem. Remember the book of Esther? That was just one of Satan's plots. It didn't work. 

Now we see Joseph and Mary traveling carefully to the town of his ancestors. Making their way on the dusty road to a stable. The scholars tell us it was probably a cave. Dirty. Dusty from hay and straw. Animals and manure. Satan probably was rubbing his hands in glee that perhaps Mary might have complications, or the Baby might catch sick because of the surroundings. 

Disappointment for Satan. Christ is born. But maybe he can still stop God's plan! The wise men come to Herod and ask for directions so that they can worship the newborn King. After all, Herod should know what's happening in his region, right?

In Herod's evil mind, this was a threat to his rule. He told the wise men to let him know when they found the Child. But Herod had no plans to worship. His plans were far worse. After he realized that the wise men were not going to let him know where to look (God warned them to go home by a different route), awful, evil Herod the tyrant ordered all of the babies two years or younger to be killed.

Murdered. The soldiers marched through the tiny town looking for babies and killing them. They followed the orders of a ruthless, fearful king. Mothers clung desperately to their little boys. Fathers were struck down when they tried to save their sons. 

Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”(Matthew 2:17-18)

Jesus, the Savior, escaped the sword by the providential care of God. 

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.  (Matthew 2:13-15a)

What if Satan had succeeded? What if Jesus Christ had never been born? We'll study this week......

Friday slowdown

Our Savior left heaven to come to earth as a wee babe. 

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)

Surely we can venture outside of our comfort zones to seek Him? To worship Him?

  Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)