First off, if you believe in Santa Claus, please understand I am not here to smash him, bash him, crash his sleigh, burn the pole, spit-wad the reindeer, etc. I am simply sick of hearing parents tell me their kids are more consumed with presents than THE presence. I heard a DJ on a Christian station say that his daughter told him, "You're not very good at Christmas anymore Dad," because he was not emphasizing the gifts as much as they used to. Since when did parents have to come up with excuses for not buying top of the line, hot-shot toys? Heaven forbid I ever complained about my gifts-and trust me, some of them were real doozies-I was disciplined to accept what you get with a smile and grateful heart.
Somewhere along the line, I think we've forgotten what Christmas is really about. It's about the day that God himself, Creator of the stinkin' universe, omnipotent in power, Judge & Jury of our fates, Father to the Fatherless, Groom of the church, Beloved to all, He spoke and the earth was formed, squished and humbled himself into a teeny, tiny, crying, pooping every twenty minutes in a cloth wrap BABY who had to rely on humans' strength rather than his own. Can you imagine?! That is an all time low, humiliation to the extreme, unthinkable! One minute you're partying it up with the angels in heaven being praised left and right, the next minute you're being potty trained. One day you're everywhere and transporting yourself wherever you want, the next you have to learn how to walk with the two legs you created for yourself. One second you're granting answers to prayers, the next you're the one doing the praying.
After a few years of this torture, you reached adolescent and puberty--oh imagine how much fun THAT must have been! I can only imagine that kids (especially teen boys) must have been as mean back then as they are now. In saying that, can you imagine how hard it must have been for Jesus growing up knowing he was the Christ? The Saviour they learn about in school everyday? (I can imagine him correcting his teacher about Jesus Christ and the 300 prophecies when the rabbi says one thing that is slighty incorrect, lol!) If you thought Rudolph had it bad with a bright cherry nose, how much worse do you think it would be growing up as the Savior of all mankind? It's no wonder he went to teach at the temple when he was 12, He was probably about to explode and couldn't handle keeping the power of God, or truths, to himself! And as he became an adult things just got worse... (I can see those bullies in his teen years becoming the Pharisees who were relentless in seeing him die for his "blasphemy.")
Oh, and on top of all this, God agreed to undergo all this for 33 years, die a miserable, horrific death, then resurrect himself to save our lives.
Why? Why the heck would anyone in their right minds do such a thing? Was he stupid? Was he nuts? Was he crazy?
Yes, he was (and is) crazy in love with each of you.
I have a pretty big imagination, but I cannot imagine giving up my only Son, giving up a part of myself, to be humiliated in the way God was. I cannot imagine dying for someone who doesn't even know me. I can't imagine dying for my enemies, much less some of my friends. (I'm being honest here...) But God DID. He sent his son, Jesus, a part of himself (according to the Trinity) to die so that we humans could live in heaven forever with him, and so that we wouldn't have to atone for our sins with sacrifices. (I imagine lambs/sheep/goats/all cattle would be extinct by now if we did.)
That is what Christmas is all about: SACRIFICIAL GIVING. So while it's great to give presents to our friends and families, and even to the needy, we need to keep ourselves in check so as not to forget the real reason for the season. Santa is jolly good fun until he takes place of Jesus-then he's dangerous. Be careful not to cross that line yourself, and especially not with your kids. If your child tells you you're not doing a good enough job with Christmas (smack 'em!), then something is desperately wrong. Remind them of the true meaning and find ways to engage them in giving selflessly to those in need, or just in general. They are the next generation, the world leaders, the earth shakers, world changers. Don't let them grow up forgetting the roots of their faith, the true reason for Christmas season.
Somewhere along the line, I think we've forgotten what Christmas is really about. It's about the day that God himself, Creator of the stinkin' universe, omnipotent in power, Judge & Jury of our fates, Father to the Fatherless, Groom of the church, Beloved to all, He spoke and the earth was formed, squished and humbled himself into a teeny, tiny, crying, pooping every twenty minutes in a cloth wrap BABY who had to rely on humans' strength rather than his own. Can you imagine?! That is an all time low, humiliation to the extreme, unthinkable! One minute you're partying it up with the angels in heaven being praised left and right, the next minute you're being potty trained. One day you're everywhere and transporting yourself wherever you want, the next you have to learn how to walk with the two legs you created for yourself. One second you're granting answers to prayers, the next you're the one doing the praying.
After a few years of this torture, you reached adolescent and puberty--oh imagine how much fun THAT must have been! I can only imagine that kids (especially teen boys) must have been as mean back then as they are now. In saying that, can you imagine how hard it must have been for Jesus growing up knowing he was the Christ? The Saviour they learn about in school everyday? (I can imagine him correcting his teacher about Jesus Christ and the 300 prophecies when the rabbi says one thing that is slighty incorrect, lol!) If you thought Rudolph had it bad with a bright cherry nose, how much worse do you think it would be growing up as the Savior of all mankind? It's no wonder he went to teach at the temple when he was 12, He was probably about to explode and couldn't handle keeping the power of God, or truths, to himself! And as he became an adult things just got worse... (I can see those bullies in his teen years becoming the Pharisees who were relentless in seeing him die for his "blasphemy.")
Oh, and on top of all this, God agreed to undergo all this for 33 years, die a miserable, horrific death, then resurrect himself to save our lives.
Why? Why the heck would anyone in their right minds do such a thing? Was he stupid? Was he nuts? Was he crazy?
Yes, he was (and is) crazy in love with each of you.
I have a pretty big imagination, but I cannot imagine giving up my only Son, giving up a part of myself, to be humiliated in the way God was. I cannot imagine dying for someone who doesn't even know me. I can't imagine dying for my enemies, much less some of my friends. (I'm being honest here...) But God DID. He sent his son, Jesus, a part of himself (according to the Trinity) to die so that we humans could live in heaven forever with him, and so that we wouldn't have to atone for our sins with sacrifices. (I imagine lambs/sheep/goats/all cattle would be extinct by now if we did.)
That is what Christmas is all about: SACRIFICIAL GIVING. So while it's great to give presents to our friends and families, and even to the needy, we need to keep ourselves in check so as not to forget the real reason for the season. Santa is jolly good fun until he takes place of Jesus-then he's dangerous. Be careful not to cross that line yourself, and especially not with your kids. If your child tells you you're not doing a good enough job with Christmas (smack 'em!), then something is desperately wrong. Remind them of the true meaning and find ways to engage them in giving selflessly to those in need, or just in general. They are the next generation, the world leaders, the earth shakers, world changers. Don't let them grow up forgetting the roots of their faith, the true reason for Christmas season.
Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, O Holy Night, Come Emmanuel, & Mary Christmas!
Saint
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