Watch for Signs of Complacency 

When I heard that a couple of my family members were looking for gift suggestions for me for Christmas, I let it be known that I could use two or three new pairs of jeans. In recent months, I had noticed that all of my current jeans were beginning to show significant signs of wearing out. However, those indicators didn’t show up where I would have expected. When I was younger, the signs that I needed to replace my old pair of jeans usually began with small holes in the knees from actively playing outdoors or from playing with toys on the floor of our house. And unlike today, those rips weren’t considered fashionable. But the holes I noticed showing up in my jeans today are in a different location. They can be found in the seat of the pants. As much as I might like to try to blame this on the fact that “they don’t make things like they used to”, I suppose it says something about which part of those pants get the most use these days. I guess I do more sitting than I did back when I was younger.

 Although I do still try to stay active by walking, doing yardwork, and even getting on a pickle ball court occasionally, I also do quite a bit of sitting – whether working at a computer or kicked back in my recliner relaxing, reading, or watching TV. I don’t expect to be joining in any neighborhood ballgames or to be crawling on the floor playing with toys too often, although I do some of that with my grandkids. However, my worn jeans serve as a reminder to me to make sure that I don’t become too inactive as I grow older.

As we get ready to head into a new year, let’s guard against complacency and lethargy, not just in life in general, but especially in connection with our relationship with the Lord and doing what He has called us to do. It may not show up by holes in the seat of our pants, but what would be some signs that we may not be as active as we once were in walking with God and in serving Him?  

It might manifest itself in some gaps in our church attendance. We don’t show up as regularly and faithfully as we once did. Granted, as we get older, health issues can play a part in such absences. However, let’s make sure that our desire to gather with other believers to worship the Lord and support one another has not waned. When possible, we seek to fulfill the scriptural admonition not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25).

Evidence of complacency could also show up in our personal times of Bible reading and prayer. The first of the year is a good time to recommit ourselves to having a daily devotional time with the Lord, preferably in the mornings to get our day started off right and to get us focused on what is most important. Make a plan to read your Bible every day. Spend some time in prayer. Maybe some of us need to wear holes in the knees of our pants not by playing but by kneeling and praying more often.

What about our service to the Lord? Are we still finding ways to be a help, blessing, and witness to other people? Or are we focused totally on ourselves and our needs? Let’s not grow complacent in fulfilling our mission to share the good news about Jesus, to make disciples, and to love others.

Let’s allow the Lord to show us any holes in the seat of our pants today. And let’s dedicate ourselves to being more active in following Him.

 

It Is Not About Saving Christmas 

Last weekend I saw that a certain older Christmas movie was being aired on a TV channel that specializes in such programming. Since it was one we had regularly watched with our children when they were young, I decided to tune in for the sake of a little nostalgia. It is titled The Night They Saved Christmas. I am aware of at least a couple of other movies with similar titles about saving Christmas. Actually, when you think about it, that is a common theme among many holiday flicks. They involve stories about Christmas being threatened by evil characters, bad weather, or various other circumstances. Will Santa be able to deliver his gifts? Will the family be able to get together as usual? Inevitably someone comes along who heroically solves the dilemma and saves the day.

While that theme can make for some interesting stories, the truth is that Christmas doesn’t need saving. I suppose it might need rescuing at times from secularism and commercialism, but the reality of Christmas will come regardless of who or what may try to take it away. It is with us always, not just during this season of the year. No matter what our world may do to the celebration, no matter how our situations may change or our traditions be altered, the truth remains that Christ was born in Bethlehem.

In the midst of all these stories about saving Christmas, the true story is about how Christmas saved us. We are not the rescuers. We are the ones who needed to be rescued. We are not the heroes who saved the day. Our hero is Jesus. He is the one and only Savior. Christmas is about His loving, sacrificial, and heroic actions to come into this world to save us from our sins.

Granted, the act of being born or of the Son of God taking on human flesh is not what remedied our hopeless situation of being lost sinners facing the condemnation of a holy God. However, it was the first step toward our deliverance. It was the beginning of our Savior’s mission. The angels made it clear that this was the reason for Jesus’ miraculous entrance into our world. One of them told Joseph to name Him Jesus because “He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). And when the angel announced His birth to the shepherds, they proclaimed, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). The One being born was above all else a Savior.

His saving mission wouldn’t be fulfilled until many years later. It would come after a wonderful, sinless life in which He would teach inspiring truths, do great miracles, and help many people. It would come through going to a cross and dying as the sacrifice for our sins. It would culminate in a glorious resurrection. But it had to start in a manger in Bethlehem. He had to be born in order to give His life for us. He had to live in a fleshly body in order to die.

 Yes, there is an aspect of “saving” in the Christmas story. However, let’s keep it straight. No red-nosed reindeer or any other character is the one who does the saving. And it is certainly not us. It is Jesus and only Jesus. While we might seek to save Christmas by making sure presents are given, traditions are upheld, and families are together, the best way we can celebrate is to make sure we have let Jesus save us – and then to let others know that He can save them too. Let Jesus be your Christmas hero. That is why He came – to save us from our sins.

 

The Perfect Christmas Story 

Are you familiar with the term “mashup”? It refers to when something is created by blending elements from multiple sources. It is used in reference to songs but also in stories, TV shows, and even costumes – such as one of Yoda dressed up as Batman’s crime-fighting sidekick Robin. I did a little mashup with my Christmas decorations this year. I took the abominable snow monster from our Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer collection and placed it in the middle of our Bedford Falls village from the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. I even thought of a possible storyline for the scene. The monster terrorizes this quiet little town, but George Bailey saves the day when he wishes that the invader had never been born. On second thought, would the monster disappear or would it simply be that no one would recognize who it was? Mashups can get complicated.

I tried to think of some mashups related to the biblical account of Jesus’ birth. How about if the Grinch tried to steal the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus? Or what about if those Magi were guided by Rudolph and his shiny nose rather than the star over Bethlehem? What if the angel who brought the news to Mary about her conception was the bumbling, loveable Clarence? You might be able to create some interesting storylines from combining such narratives, but none of them could be better, more amazing, or more relevant than the one true story itself.

We may not intentionally add to the biblical account for entertainment purposes, but there are plenty of non-biblical elements and stories surrounding the Christmas season that can get blended in with the real meaning of the season. We can get focused on those other aspects of the holiday and lose sight of the primary cause for our celebration. We can enjoy the decorations, the food, the family gatherings, the songs, and our favorite Christmas movies. However, if we aren’t careful, we can end up like Charlie Brown – going through the motions of the season but confused about the meaning of it all. We need a Linus to come along and remind us of the simple, yet profound, story of the birth of Jesus. The truth needs no mashups in order to liven it up or to make it fit today’s world. It is wonderful just the way it is.

So let’s be sure in the midst of all our other activities and all the other storylines of the season that we stay focused on the real, unadulterated Christmas story. Every member of the human race was guilty of having sinned against a holy God, our Creator. We were facing the consequences of that fallen condition, including separation from God, and the certainties of death and hell. Nevertheless, this same God loved us so much that He made a way for us to be restored to a right relationship with Him. The great, invisible, infinite Spirit Himself, lowered Himself to take on flesh and blood and become like us. He was born into this world through a virgin girl’s miraculous conception. He came to be our Savior. He did it by living a sinless life, then allowing Himself to suffer and die as the unblemished sacrifice for our sins. He took our place and took our punishment on Himself. And then He was resurrected as proof that He truly was the Son of God. So through faith in Him, we can be delivered from sin, become children of God, and receive an eternal home in heaven.

Mashups can be fun and interesting, but nothing is better than the true story of Christmas about a loving God, a miracle birth, and the arrival of our Savior. Glory to God in the highest!

 

Be Thankful for the Christmas Season 

After recently reading several books that focused on deep biblical doctrine and theology, I decided that I should look for something lighter for my next read. I ended up pulling out my copies of the series of writings known as The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It had been quite a few years since I had last read these enjoyable tales with their engaging analogies in relation to Christianity. In a short time, I have already completed six of the seven small volumes.

At one point in these stories, it pictures a world that is under the curse of an evil force. That place is described as a world in which it is always winter but without any Christmas. Even apart from the theological implications of such a circumstance, many of us would consider it to be unpleasant to live in such world. We are thankful for a Christmas season that gives us an occasion to celebrate in the midst of the harshness of wintertime. It is nice to see the holiday decorations brightening up what would otherwise be a rather drab landscape with its bare gardens and leafless trees. It is uplifting to view the holiday lights in the midst of the increased darkness of winter. Christmas fills this season with a hope and joy that would otherwise be missing. Even for those who may ignore the true meaning of the occasion, Christmas is a welcome respite to the cold months of winter.

However, for those who recognize the deeper significance of this holiday, there is even more reason to be grateful for its existence. It is more than simply a break from the winter doldrums. It is a recognition of the gift of God’s Son that brought light and life into our world. It is a celebration of God’s great love as He provided the means for our deliverance from the sin and evil that had imprisoned our hearts in its cold, harsh environment. It reminds us of the reasons we have to possess joy and hope in a world in which evil and suffering still exert a heavy influence.  

Imagine if we did live in a world where evil prevailed and Jesus had not been born to be our Savior. What if there wasn’t a Christmas? Without the coming of God’s Son in the flesh, there would then have been no miracle-working Jesus, none of His teachings for us to live by, and no sinless example for us to seek to follow. But most of all, there would have been no cross and no empty tomb – no sacrifice made for our sins and no glorious resurrection to verify it all. We would all be wandering aimlessly in the frozen tundra of our sins with no hope of anything ever changing. We would be forever bound in our winter prison.

Sometimes we may be tempted to view the Christmas season in a negative way due to the busy activities, the heavy traffic, the expense of shopping for gifts, the preparations to host gatherings, or even for theological reasons having to do with pagan practices and the likelihood that this wasn’t actually the time of year when Jesus was born. However, let’s not lose sight of the basic truth for which we should be thankful. Jesus was born. And it is an event worth celebrating because it is the beginning of everything else Jesus would do to provide for our salvation. Without the manger, there would no cross. Jesus had to be born in order to fulfill His mission.

So let’s be thankful for the Christmas season. Let’s be grateful that it doesn’t always have to be winter in our hearts. The Savior has come to bring us light and life.