Let me start with the Love Christmas part. I love Christmas. The whole true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus to come and save me from the sins that I commit everyday. I love the story of awe and bewilderment of a teenage couple being told by angels that they would be the parents of the Son of God. I love the story of Jesus humble entrance into this world, the fact that he could have made the most stunning entrance and yet, He enter the earth in one of the messiest ways possible.Yes there is lots to love about Christmas. The songs, the sense of community that happens around Christmas. Even wars have been put on hold for this one important day. It was by far and the most important day in the history of man kind, followed by the death of Christ. But this is where I begin to hate Christmas. You see no matter how much as Christians we say we know the true meaning of Christmas, I don’t think we do.We sit in our nice, not so nice, even palatial, well lit, heated, homes around a table piled high with, chocolates, candy, baking, turkey and a multitude of other food and drink and look at our Christmas trees around which are surrounded by stacks and stacks of gifts. We spend day, weeks and even some of us, months ahead of time planning and spending for one day.I must say that my family is no different we have spent and ate our fair share this Christmas. But like at no other time in my life as I sat around the Christmas tree and watched my children open their gifts I was sick to my stomach. And later as we gathered around the table to gorge ourselves on turkey, ham and all the trimmings I felt even worse. I began to wonder to myself What would Jesus think about Christmas?”Now I am not claiming to know what Jesus would actually think, but I think that he may be a little sick as well. I am not sure that he would be there around our trees, or our dinner tables. I am not sure that he would be sitting in our churches during our Christmas Eve services timed so the family can get in and out and home to the really purpose of the day, opening presents. What would he think about our giving into 4 of the 7 deadly sins:
Again I love Christmas, but I am sad that as a Christian I have allowed the true meaning of Christmas to escape my family. I am sorry that instead of dwelling on the miracle of the virgin birth, and what it means, I have allowed it to be just a story that we read quickly before we begin opening our gifts.Sorry God, for not celebrating your Sons birthday in the way that he is due.
It seems more and more there are people on the streets that need help. There are homeless people in every city, there are squeegee people at the street corners. No matter where you go you will see someone with a sign “Traveling, hungry, broke anything will help.”
This got me thinking about something that I have heard over and over throughout my life. “You should never give money to someone on the street, they will only buy alcohol and drugs with the money.”
Here is what Jesus has to say about this (Matt. 25:34-46):
34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 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.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Not sure about you, but to me that is pretty clear. If there is a person in need who comes to you and asks you for some money or food, we should just give. Now, what if the person uses that money to buy drugs or alcohol? To that I say “how they spend the money you give them is between them and God.”
When I get to heaven and stand before God, He is not going to ask me how that person spent the money I gave them. He will ask me why I never gave to the person in need.
Seems pretty clear to me, take care of those in need or go to hell! (Verse 41)