Something Different

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (NIV)

The other day my husband was talking with a group of his co-workers. The subject: the real meaning of Christmas. My husband asked why we celebrate Christmas, and most were on board that we celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas time. But they were baffled by his next question: Why did Jesus have to be born? The room was silent. No one had an answer, and he shared with me later that it broke his heart. So, in his own way, he began to explain the “why” of Christ’s birth.

I remember taking an Everyday Evangelism class at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale years ago. This class was such a blessing to me because it gave practical ideas and suggestions on how to share the Good News of Jesus in a way that people can understand and relate to. One of the best tools I learned was to draw a picture. Write the words “Us” on the left side and “GOD” on the opposite side of the paper. There is a big gap between “Us” and “God”. Then you draw arrows in the direction of “GOD”, but all these arrows make a descent just before they reach “GOD”. These arrows represent our very best efforts to jump across or bridge the gap between us and God. We help others. We give to the poor. We try to treat everyone kindly. You get the drift. However, we are sinners trying to access a holy, perfect God by our own efforts…so we fall short.

Next, draw a horizontal line from “Us” to “God” (like a bridge) and a vertical line down the middle so that your bridge is the shape of a cross. This cross represents the perfect life of Jesus that bridges that gap between us and God. He is our great mediator, the way for us to access the Father (John 14:6). Jesus does what we can’t do for ourselves: he pays the price for our sin, clothes us with his righteousness, and restores the relationship between us and the Father. Jesus closes the gap.

Someone told me recently that thanks to Facebook, Google, and the power of the internet, she could never run for political office. I chuckled because I know my pre-Christ life, and I was so grateful the internet was not up and running then to take snapshots of it. It is so amazing to me that as a culture we are often quick to acknowledge that our lives are not squeaky clean enough to run for political office because of some stupid thing we did years ago. Yet, many believe they are good enough for heaven, and to live there for eternity with an all-mighty, all-knowing, and all-powerful God. That logic really isn’t rational, but it is popular. I wonder if people feel this way because they don’t know who they are (a sinner) and why Jesus had to be born (our savior).

I loved Joannie’s blog earlier this week and the suggestions she gave to make this Christmas more memorable. I particularly loved her advice about the Jesus party and the limit of 3 gifts (just like Jesus received three gifts from the magi). I believe it is so important for our children to love Christmas—have fun, celebrate, go all out to make memories commemorating Jesus’ birth. Personally, I think Santa is an irrelevant distraction from the true meaning of Christmas. A little boy once told me that Christmas was about Jesus and Santa. Really? The truth is one day he will grow up to know (hopefully) that one, Jesus, means everything and the other guy with the reindeer who comes down the chimney…well, he doesn’t even exist. A fictional Santa gives gifts to children if they are “good”, but the other, Jesus, is the ultimate gift from God because he knew we could never be “good enough” on our own.

So let’s show those in our sphere of influence something different: peace, joy, and hope—all the things only Christ can offer. I would also encourage you to set aside a special time to explain to your little ones (in an age appropriate way) WHY Jesus was born, put less emphasis on a fictional Santa “who is going to give them lots of presents”, and have a very MERRY CHRISTmas!

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel—which means, ‘God with us’. Matthew 1:23

Dear Father,

We love you! Thank you for the birth of Jesus, your Son. Thank you that he did what we could not do on our own—live a perfect life and bridge the gap between us and you. Thank you for loving us that much. Help us focus on you this Christmas, to have your joy and peace in our hearts, and to share the miracle of Jesus’ birth with our children, family, and friends. May we put on the attitude of Christ and seek to serve others this Christmas. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Please check out this link to the song "Here With Us" by Joy Williams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om5-95_Byjo