I'll never forget the day Buttercup died.
I was just a kid and it was November-right around my birthday. Oh, and Buttercup wasn't my pet milk cow. He was my parakeet.
I took Buttercup's untimely demise pretty hard. To properly memorialize the little guy, I stuffed a very decorative shoe box with cotton balls and then laid him to rest in the cardboard casket. Then I tied a bow on it-just to make it extra special. It being winter in Michigan, the ground outside was frozen and snow covered, and a proper burial was not an option. So . . .
. . . I put the box down in the basement freezer. And soon my family forgot about Buttercup.
Jump forward about a month.
It's Christmas time and my mom, as was her practice, had already been baking goodies for a couple of weeks. She'd make batches of cookies, box them up, and store them in the freezer until needed when company dropped by.
I suspect you already know where this story is headed. One day right before Christmas, Jackie and Jim Steven from across the street are over. My mom says to her friend, Jackie, "Hey, go downstairs and grab a box of cookies out of the freezer to take home with you."
Yes, Jackie carried a festively-wrapped box home with her. A little later, a scream echoed through the neighborhood as Jackie met Buttercup.
Focus or Frustration
A lot of people feel like screaming at some point during the holidays. After all, Christmas seems to always bring extra obligations, busyness, and increased stress. It's easy to get halfway through the season and realize you have totally lost your spiritual focus. Suddenly, it's no longer a season of celebration-it's a season for frustration.
Can I be honest with you?
It happens to pastors, too.
Oh, don't misunderstand-I absolutely love Christmas and I always look forward to it.
But for a pastor, it is an incredibly busy time. Christmas brings an opportunity to reach so many people who haven't been open to hearing the Gospel at any other time of the year-so our church plans lots of extra worship services to welcome them in. At the same time, we double up our outreach and benevolence efforts to try to meet all the spiritual and financial needs that seem to be amplified at this time of year.
It gets so hectic that I have to be careful to keep my focus where it belongs. I don't want to get so busy doing for God that I forget the importance of abiding in Him.
What's in a Name
There are many wonderful prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah-especially in the book of Isaiah. Let me remind you of one that can help you keep your focus on celebration this Christmas.
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold the virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
If you don't know, "Immanuel" means "God with us." For hundreds of years, God's people could read this prophecy, but could only imagine what it would really mean or how it would be fulfilled. Today we celebrate Christmas precisely because we really do know what it means.
We know that God chose to come and live among us, arriving in the flesh in the most humble way imaginable-as a baby born in a stable. We know that His birth, as humble as it was, was heralded by angels. We know that the baby grew to be a Man who declared Himself to be the Son of God, and who showed us the nature and character of His Heavenly Father.
And we know that He willing laid down His life for us, and then conquered death on our behalf.
We also understand now that "God with us" means more than just "God in the flesh." Because as Jesus was preparing His disciples for the day He would no longer be with them in human form,
He said this:
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, and He will abide with you forever-the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
(John 14:16-17)
That's the promise we have today.
That "God with us" is just as real for us, through the Holy Spirit, as it was for shepherds who bowed down to worship that baby in the manger, or disciples who walked with Him and heard Him preach and saw Him heal the sick.
So as the busyness of the Christmas season presses in on you, as it certainly will; as the pressure to do so much to fulfill your obligations pushes you to the point that you might want to scream, remember that He is with you, literally, every moment. Let the comfort of the Holy Spirit restore the joy of Christmas in your heart.
And can I challenge you to share that Good News with those around you?
Remember that during this holiday season, many hearts are a little more open to the Gospel message. They are longing for the peace that you have discovered through our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Don't miss the opportunity to share the reason for the hope you have-the true reason for the season.
My New Year's Pledge to You
Now as we head in to the uncharted waters of the year 2010, I want you to know that we are more committed than ever to bringing you the keys to experiencing God's highest and best for your life.
There has never been a more exciting time to be a real disciple of Jesus. And no matter what twists and turns the road may take in the coming months, you can be sure that we'll be here to encourage you, help you and equip you to be effective in serving God.
Speaking of service to God . . . If you're giving an offering into the ministry of the Active Word this month, please keep this in mind:
With your gifts, and those of other faithful friends, we're using every medium at our disposal to bring to you and others the keys to living the Christian life at the highest possible level.
And it's working. Disciples are being made. Hearts are being mended. Eternal destinies are being changed.
Thanks for being such an important part of all God is doing in us and through us. And thanks for standing with me this past year. It means so much to me.
If there is anything we can join you in praying about, we would consider it an honor. Let me hear from you soon.
Until the whole world hears,
P.S. In the coming year, may you experience God more fully, know Him more intimately, and realize more of the joy that comes from walking in His will. And if there is a prayer request our prayer team can lift to the Lord on your behalf here at Christmas, feel free to contact us.
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