As the sun sets on this day I think back to Christmas's past. Childhood memories seem almost perfect in my eyes - 50+ years removed from today. Any "bad" memories, arguments or illnesses fade in favor of good times had by all.
The first Christmas, the day Jesus was born 2,000+ years ago, only lives in the hearts and minds via stories in the Bible (and the Holy Spirit if you believe). Isaiah 9, Mathew 1&2 and Luke 2 tell the stories that Christmas carols are made of.
Each of us has our own version of the Christmas story in our hearts. Our brains function like that. We try to forget the bad in favor of the good. We don't want to hear about our sin and need for repentance. We picture things through our heart's warm and fuzzy filter. Times we were hurt vs. times we had fun. And that's a problem.
We like to think about the happy, wonderful baby Jesus. In our minds He probably never cried or loaded His diaper. It's a one-sided story. We tend to forget about how Herod had all the other two-year old children in Bethlehem killed in hopes of killing Jesus along with them. Where is THAT fact in our happy, wonderful, filtered Christmas story?
"16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under," - Matthew 2:16
WHY Jesus was born is anything but happy - to eventually be nailed to a tree and killed for the things that you and I have done or left undone.
We have spent more time baking cookies and wrapping presents then we have thinking about the truth written in God's Word. And that's another problem.
The reality of Christmas is we have morphed it into something it was never intended to be - a marketing event and a means for people to make money. Christmas should be a time when we give our King gifts, not ourselves.
If you have remembered the true meaning of Christmas and you have it in your hearts, I thank God for you. For you are truly one of God's children and the spirit of Christmas lives in you throughout the year, not just in December.
There is a group called Advent Conspiracy that started up back in 2009. Their mission is to return Christmas to its original meaning. Their four main tenants are these - Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All.
Sounds good to me! :) As Christians, we should be doing that every day. If you have not placed your faith and trust in Jesus, please, take another look under the tree. Or better yet, open a Bible to one of the stories I mentioned earlier. Perhaps there is "an unopened gift" waiting for YOU. :)
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. One Christmas closer to His return. Let's hope He comes soon. What a Christmas gift THAT would be.
The Perfect Gift - JJ Heller
The Perfect Gift - 2017 Advent Conspiracy Explainer
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