December 25 each year for centuries has been thought by many people
to be the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christians think of it as the day that God
placed his only son in the midst of mankind, thus attempting to show his love
for us by teaching an improved approach to our mortal life. This so impressed
us, that we even designated the four weeks prior to Christmas as Advent, and
made it a joyful time of anticipation for the Christmas Day celebration of
Jesus' arrival.
Of course, some of us have found the rituals of purchasing and giving
gifts, sending greeting cards and meeting with friends and neighbors at holiday
parties, a frantic effort to stay on a tight schedule. Most of this occurs
during the four weeks of Advent, so perhaps we are not all that well prepared
for Christmas, after all.
So, what is the point of Christmas? Was it merely something for
Jesus, Mary and Joseph to do, or is it more complicated and profound?
Well-known Pastor Rick Warren, with a church in California, offers some
helpful ideas on how we can re-focus ourselves to the deeper meaning of
Christmas. He explains why we should have real gratitude for the birth of
Jesus.
Warren says the first purpose of Christmas is to celebrate. God
loves you! Not based on what you do, but based on who he is. Our
good works do not buy God's favor. Secondly, God is with you and will
never abandon you. You may not feel like he is near, but that just means you
are not tuned-in. Thirdly, God is not against you. He is not out to get
you or make you miserable. God loves you. God is with you. God is for you.
Therefore, the gift to mankind of God's only son is a priceless gift to
you.
But, there is more!
There is this thing called "Salvation." Rick Warren believes that most
people recognize their need for somebody greater than themselves ---- someone to
help them through a problem, rescue them from a tight spot, and ultimately save
them from something they can't solve on their own. They realize the need for
somehow being saved ---- salvation.
Warren believes that salvation is three-dimensional. You are saved
FROM something ---- yourself. Sin is an attitude. It is a pride
problem. Sin is saying, "I want to be my own boss. I don't need God." The
problem with sin is that it separates us from God. Jesus came to set us free
from our sin. So, there is something from which we need to be set free. We
need to be set free from ourselves. We need a savior!
.
In addition, Pastor Warren believes Jesus came to save us FOR a
purpose. It's in Christ, he says, that we find out who we are and what we are
living for. But, Warren believes, you will never be completely satisfied with
your life until you find out what is the purpose God has for you, and how to
bring it to pass. You were not made for mere "success" in some secular sense.
You were made for a higher level ---- "significance." Significance comes from
knowing God, his purpose for your life, and then for you to fulfill
it.
Thirdly, Rick Warren reminds us that Jesus came to save us BY his
grace. Grace is when God gives us what we need and not what we deserve. Grace
is when God says, "I'm going to take your problem and make it my problem." God
came to save us from our hurts, our habits and our hang-ups.
So far, God and Jesus have done all the work. What role do we play
at Christmas time, if any?Rick Warren sees a very difficult but important role
for us! In a word, it is "Reconciliation" ---- when a broken relationship is
restored.
Pastor Warren says there are three kinds of such peace:
--- First, if you are trying to live life without God, then you are at
war with God and you need a peace treaty. How do you make peace with God? You
don't do it by promising to be good. You don't do it by being perfect. You
can't be perfect. You don't do it by never sinning. You will sin. You make
peace, the Bible says, by faith ---- faith in God's grace.
--- Second, you've got two choices in life. In every circumstance, you
can pray or panic. You can worship or worry. If you prayed as much as you
worry, you would have a whole lot less to worry about. The peace of God happens
in your heart when you've made peace with God.
--- Third, God has given us both a ministry and a message (and it's about
reconciliation) ---- to help other people find peace with God and peace
with each other.
With whom do you need to rebuild a broken relationship this Christmas?
Just remember that you will need to let Jesus Christ fill you with his love so
you love other people the way he does. And, you will need to let him fill you
with his forgiveness. Until you let God in, and feel truly
forgiven, you don't have the ability to forgive others.
So, we have a range of gifts to acknowledge this Christmas. There could be
new golf clubs, a new car or something even more grand in a material sense. At
the same time, we can count on an invaluable gift from God, as evidenced by the
birth of Jesus. But, one of the most precious gifts we can give might
simply be the gift of forgiveness to someone who caused us pain in the year that
is now behind us, just as God's grace has already forgiven us of repeated
sinning.
Merry Christmas!
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development
Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal spiritual growth this fall
at CPC.
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