Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God the Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
Little Johnny desperately wanted a bright red wagon for Christmas. His friends were writing letters to Santa Claus, but Johnny decided to go one better. “Dear Jesus,” he wrote. “If I get a bright red wagon for Christmas, I promise I won’t fight with my brother Steve for a whole year.” Then Johnny thought, ‘Ahhck, Steve is such a brat, I could never, ever keep that promise.’ So Johnny threw away that letter and started over. “Dear Jesus, if I get a red wagon for Christmas, I will eat all my vegetables without complaining for an entire year.” Then Johnny thought, ’Oh, no, that means spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Yuck! I could never, ever keep that promise.’Suddenly, Johnny had a stroke of genius. He went downstairs to the living room. On the mantel above the fireplace, he grabbed the family’s figurine of the Virgin Mary from the Nativity Scene. Taking the statue to the kitchen he wrapped it in newspapers and stuffed it into a grocery bag. He took the bag upstairs to his room, opened the closet and placed the package in the farthest, darkest corner. He then closed the closet door, took out a new sheet of paper and wrote, “Dear Jesus, if you ever want to see your mother again…”
Ah yes, the true meaning of Christmas. Has it been wrecked by a roll of gift wrap? Has it been obscured in a politically correct forest of “holiday” trees? Has it drowned in a sea of Eggnog? Has it been crushed under coupons and gift cards? Has it been saturated in a season of sentimentality? Has it been hijacked by a jolly old elf and 8 renegade reindeer? Has it been pushed under a pile of presents? What is the true meaning of Christmas anymore? For most of us, it is the thrill of getting gifts! I remember monitoring all the packages under the tree with my name written on the name tag very closely! I had them all sorted out and stacked by name, colour and shape! I had my cookies and milk all set out for Santa too – I even left the cordless phone and Dad’s credit card near the chimney just in case Santa wanted to order a pizza! It doesn’t hurt to have a little extra “gift-insurance” now does it?!
On Christmas Eve morning a woman told her husband, “I just had the most amazing dream!You gave me a beautiful diamond necklace for Christmas! What do you think it means?” “Oh, you’ll know tonight!” he answered with a big Cheshire cat grin. That evening, just before opening presents, the husband came home with a small parcel, elegantly wrapped and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she quickly opened it … only to find a book entitled “The Meaning of Dreams!”
And here lies the problem with linking the meaning of Christmas with the getting and giving of gifts. Sometimes, we just don’t get what we want! We end up with feelings of bitter disappointment. We have our heart set on something and it doesn’t materialize. Or, we think we’ve found the perfect gift for that special someone, only to have them reply “Oh! You shouldn’t have” – and they mean it! You end up feeling like the worst schmuck ever!
One Christmas Eve a man announced to his wife that he would not be attending the Christmas church service, as much as he knew she wanted him to. “I would feel hypocritical attending just because it’s Christmas. I just don’t really understand all that Jesus stuff that is talked about at Christmas. Sure, God could become a man, but why would He want to?” And so he stayed home while his wife and family went off to church. It was snowing lightly as they drove away.
The man sat down in his comfortable recliner and began to watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Suddenly he heard a strange noise, a kind of thumping noise, like snowballs being thrown against his picture window. Upon closer examination, he discovered that the noise was birds trying to escape the now full blown snowstorm outside. They were flying against the lighted window thinking they could find a safe, cozy haven inside. But to their dismay, they only hit against the window and repeatedly tumbled to the ground. Even after failing they kept trying.
“What the heck is wrong with these nitwit birds?!” thought the man as he quickly put on his boots and coat. He rushed to his barn and turning on the lights, he swung open the large barn doors, thinking the birds would see the light and fly inside. The birds, however, seemed oblivious to the invitation. The man tried all the more to shoo them inside. But then the birds just scattered in every direction except toward the barn. They were afraid of this strange man running around in the snow waving his arms up and down. He even tried to drop bread crumbs along a path leading toward the barn. Again, the birds paid no attention. Soon the wind blew away what the snow did not cover up.
Then the man thought, “If only I could become one of them! I would tell them in their own language, ’It’s safe in here! Let’s go into the barn. There’s food in there and warmth!” But alas, he was not a bird. He could not tell them how much he cared and wanted to help. Through the blowing wind he heard the faint bells from his wife’s church, chiming, “O Come All Ye Faithful.” And then he knew! He fell on his knees in the snow. Suddenly everything came together for him. Christ Jesus, His incarnation, why God became man, why the Son of God came to earth—the whole thing! God did for humanity what this man could not do for the birds—become one of them that they might be saved. It was about God’s love for His people. It was about God’s coming to earth to rescue a dying people, including, thought the man, himself!
This is the real meaning of Christmas – that for the life of world, God would become flesh and dwell among us. That He would become one of us to tell us He loves us and has forgiven us for all of our sins. That He would die on the cross to trample down death and lead us into the warmth of eternal life and light of His Kingdom – not just one night a year but always! This is the real love of God for you and the real meaning of Christmas. Amen! Merry Christmas!
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