MEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRYYYYYYY CHRISTMAAAAAAAAASSS!!!!! Hohoho!
That was my Santa Clause impression. So obviously, Christmas is coming up very soon. And I mean VERY soon. I mean, six days? That’s madness! So I guess you are probably expecting me to talk about the true meaning of Christmas. Well you are absolutely righhhh… WRONG! Haha, faked you out, eh? I think you get enough of that shoved down your throats every year, I wouldn’t be saying anything you hadn’t already heard a bajillion times. No, this week we are actually talking about giving.
I wonder, how many of you got up at three in the morning and went shopping on Black Friday? Hunting for that perfect gift for that certain someone, and at a lower price! I won’t lie, I was out there. Me, my mother, and my grandmother in our holiday tradition, braving the cold, snow, and crazed shoppers. We’re not like, hard-core or anything, but we have fun with it. Now those of you who know me may be able to attest the to fact that I am NOT a morning person. I like sleep. Me and the sandman are good buddies. I tell you what, there had better be one heck of a good reason if I’m going to be getting out of my cozy covers at 3 a.m.
So what IS that good reason? Even those of you who got a decent amount of sleep after Turkey Day have likely emptied your wallets and maxed out your credit cards in preparation for this one special day. Why? What’s our motivation? The love of shopping and being shoved and honked at by lunatics in Santa hats? The pleasure we get from paying bill after bill when it’s all over? I don’t think so. How about this… is it because we enjoy seeing the people we love happy when we give them something? Do we go to all this trouble simply because we care for people, and all this festivity is a good way to show it? Hmm. Could be.
I want you to do me a favor. Mentally run down your Christmas shopping list. Who did you buy for this year? Now (you don’t have to tell anyone else), how many of those were obligation gifts? You know what I’m talking about. Those gifts you buy not because you really want to make that person happy, but because you have to give them something for one reason or another. Maybe you don’t want to hurt feelings, or you know they are getting you something so you have to give something in return, or you gave some mutual acquaintance a present and you gotta get one for them now, or they are family but you don’t like them very much, etc, etc. Don’t act all high and mighty, I know you have at least one of them on your list. So what’s our motivation in this scenario? Well, as already mentioned, obligation. Or perhaps it’s just tradition, just something you have always done this time of year and always WILL do this time of year.
So I’m certain you are wondering, “What in the name of Rudolph are you getting at? What does my Christmas shopping have to do with God?” Well, let’s think about it. Jesus is the “reason for the season”, right? We’re all celebrating His ‘birthday’, aren’t we? So after you got gifts for your friends, your mom, your cat, your Auntie Myrtle, your boss, your pastor, your mailman, your babysitter, Joe the Plumber, and every other possible friend and acquaintance… what are you giving Jesus this Christmas?
Ever thought much about that? I haven’t. But it only makes sense, doesn’t it? We give gifts to people because we love them and want them to be happy. Why shouldn’t this apply to Jesus, who really ought to come first in every aspect of our lives? Maybe you have thought about this, and drop a little extra cash in the plate at church every Christmas Eve. My question to you is… where is your heart as you are giving? Is it obligation, because this is just what you do every year? Or is it given out of love and thankfulness, a true heart offering to God?
So let’s say that you are thinking about this for the first time. What do you get for a person who literally has EVERYTHING? Well thankfully, God isn’t one of those people who give you absolutely NO Christmas list or ideas to work from (I do that sometimes. My friends don’t like that much. Teehee!). Let’s take a look at what Jesus might want from us this Christmas.
Genesis 4:4- “But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering” No, you don’t have to go out and kill a sheep this Christmas. Abel gave the best of what he had to God, not what was left over. In other words, he made God a priority. Hmm, what a splendid idea! Where could we make God a priority… in our time, maybe? Our money? Our thoughts? The possibilities are endless!
Matthew 25:40- “The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” What does this mean? God is saying that when you do things for people who need it, it’s like you’re doing it for Him. Let’s see now, how can we apply that… why not stop by a soup kitchen this week? Maybe drop a little more than spare change in the bell ringer’s bucket. Bake a batch of cookies and send them to that little old lady down the street. Maybe just tell someone that you love them and God loves them. Use your imagination!
Ephesians 5:1-2- “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” This one is sort of twofold. The first part is this… Live and love like God. Love unconditionally, irrevocably, inexplicably, and irrationally. Love everyone! Your friends, your family, your enemies, your acquaintances, the strangers you meet on the street, the cashier with an attitude and nose ring, EVERYONE. Now here’s the second part… in this living and loving, we may be required to sacrifice something of ourselves. Nothing’s free, you know. This may not be money. It could be our pride. It could be our time. It could be our comfort, or our immediate happiness. Let me tell you now, though… no matter how much you sacrifice for Him, isn’t He so, so worth it? Yes. Yes he is.
Mark 1:35- “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” What is God asking for here? Time. Time spent alone with Him. Do we get enough of that? I probably don’t, although I am doing far better than I once was. You know, I bet Jesus was dead tired. He had been walking all over the place, dealing with huge crowds, preaching, healing people left and right… man, if anyone deserved to sleep in it was Him! But He didn’t. He got up early and made time for God. Why don’t you give that a try?
Don’t get me wrong here. God should be the center of our lives all year round, not just at Christmas time. But I mean, I’m certain you don’t neglect all the other people in your life the rest of the year either… Christmas is just a time of giving a little extra. So in all your wrapping and decorating and shopping and baking and giving, don’t forget the Person who gave you the greatest give anyone could ever give. And if you haven’t already, maybe this is the time when you can accept that gift and make Him your savior. Think about it.
Merry Christmas, my loves. May God bless you all!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
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