Ever since I was a little boy I was not given the gift of believing in Santa. My dad had moral conflicts with lying to his children. I will never know what it is like to be so excited you shake when you hear that Santa is coming. I will never know what it is like to run to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning to find what Santa left and if he granted my wish or not. By now some of you reading this are indignant with the childhood fun I was robbed of or you are sad and wipe away the tears, mourning my Santaless Christmas. Don't cry for me blog-readers! The truth is I never knew him! And therefore I have no pain from the Santaless experience.
Some of you have the experience of a Christless Christmas. The church chose on Christmas Sunday to talk about anything buy Jesus' birth. Your parents refused to place a nativity scene anywhere around your home. You heard the mocking and cynical laughter of your family as they debunked the whole idea that we could possibly know the actual date of Jesus' birth. And as I think about that scenario, I become indignant that we have been robbed from the perfect Christmas gift. And I wipe away tears as I mourn a Christless Christmas.
Today my boys believe deeply in Santa. They also believe in their little Elf, E.N. who communicates to Santa from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. They also believe in Christ and His birth, His coming into the world, and His one-day return for us! In the grand scheme of things, the belief system is the same, yet the truth holds for only one.
Jesus was born of a virgin mother. He was born with little fanfare in a manger with animals all around. People, not his family, came from all around to visit the miracle of Emmanual, God with us! Although a baby with no verbal language, total dependency upon his mother and father, Jesus was the Savior! He was God! And at the time no one could foresee all that he would become and do to fulfill God's Kingdom promises. And today, although Jesus does not speak to us directly and we depend upon his story and traditions to realize his power, Jesus is still savior! Still God! And right now we truly cannot foresee all of what he will do when he comes back to claim all of creation back to His father!
So we believe with great faith and we live in great anticipation of a Christ child that has come and Christ resurrected that will return!
Have a Christ-filled Christmas!
Some of you have the experience of a Christless Christmas. The church chose on Christmas Sunday to talk about anything buy Jesus' birth. Your parents refused to place a nativity scene anywhere around your home. You heard the mocking and cynical laughter of your family as they debunked the whole idea that we could possibly know the actual date of Jesus' birth. And as I think about that scenario, I become indignant that we have been robbed from the perfect Christmas gift. And I wipe away tears as I mourn a Christless Christmas.
Today my boys believe deeply in Santa. They also believe in their little Elf, E.N. who communicates to Santa from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. They also believe in Christ and His birth, His coming into the world, and His one-day return for us! In the grand scheme of things, the belief system is the same, yet the truth holds for only one.
Jesus was born of a virgin mother. He was born with little fanfare in a manger with animals all around. People, not his family, came from all around to visit the miracle of Emmanual, God with us! Although a baby with no verbal language, total dependency upon his mother and father, Jesus was the Savior! He was God! And at the time no one could foresee all that he would become and do to fulfill God's Kingdom promises. And today, although Jesus does not speak to us directly and we depend upon his story and traditions to realize his power, Jesus is still savior! Still God! And right now we truly cannot foresee all of what he will do when he comes back to claim all of creation back to His father!
So we believe with great faith and we live in great anticipation of a Christ child that has come and Christ resurrected that will return!
Have a Christ-filled Christmas!
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