the basic message # E75
9/13/03
Luke 2:10-11
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
Ah, the season of Christmas is once again upon us. The lights, the sounds, the smells of Christmas are like none other. And here we are gathered around the fireplace and it’s time for me to tell the Christmas story, right? Sorry folks, Christmas has become burdened with shopping, traffic, tempers flaring, and general havoc. Fast forward 33 years from the manger scene:
Luke 23:46
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
Oh, you prefer the story of the little baby in the swaddling clothes rather than the bleeding man nailed to a cross? Everyone does, since the baby Jesus makes no demands from us. Like most babies, he just smiles and coos and only bothers people when he cries. The man on the cross has called every one of us to follow him and turn from our sinful ways. The man on the cross is seldom considered during the Christmas season because many folks consider the crucifixion story to be sad.
Friends, the crucifixion story is the happiest story in the Bible. If the baby hadn’t grown into the man that was nailed to that old rugged cross, we would still be sacrificing lambs to make a shallow attempt to atone for our sins. In fact, Christmas should be a quiet time of reflection, and Easter should be the season for our joyous praise to God. How might Jesus the man view our concept of Christmas if he walked among us today? Let’s follow him around the shopping mall:
He might first wonder what the word “Xmas” means when he sees it written on store windows. Is “Merry Xmas” perhaps another holiday being celebrated? He might eavesdrop on the wealthy lady trying to shop for her spoiled children and wonder why she’s so frustrated and upset. “They’re just so hard to buy for, they have everything you could think of!!!”, she complains. Jesus wonders how people can get so upset with having good fortune. As Jesus walks through the many stores, he looks for products that make any mention of him. He asks a clerk, “Do you have anything in stock that has something to do with me?” Seeing the confusion on the clerk’s face, he adds hastily, “Uh, I mean do you have anything for sale that features Jesus?” “Oh, yes we have some nativity scenes over there, as a matter of fact, they’re on a close-out sale.” Jesus walks over the nativity scenes and says, “This looks nothing at all like the real place. Is that the best you can do?”, but by that time the clerk was ringing up a necktie with flashing red lights that plays “Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer”. What’s that going on outside the mall? Oh, it’s a Christmas parade. Jesus watches with amazement at the floats and fire engines and all the noise and excitement. There’s a float that has that same “Merry Xmas” written on a big banner. Jesus makes himself a note to find out just what this “Xmas” thing is all about. Just about that time a great big fire truck approaches and the crowd goes wild. “What’s going on?”, Jesus asks. “Oh, it’s Santa Claus”, he’s told. “Who is Santa Claus?”, Jesus asks. “He’s the universal symbol for Christmas”, someone responds. Jesus looks puzzled after hearing the answer and says, “I thought I was the symbol for Christmas”, but no one hears him since everyone is so busy celebrating Christmas.