Christmas

The Gift of Being a Neighbor

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On coming to the house they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, and of incense and of myrrh. Matthew 2:11

Most of us do not have much gold lying around the house, fewer still Incense, and probably no one even knows what myrrh is any more. So over the next twelve days I’m going to suggest twelve things you won’t be able to find at the shopping mall or even on-line, that we should be putting on our gift list for Jesus Christ. Today we start with the gift of being a good neighbor.

The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31 – Most of us know that Jesus told us to love our neighbors, but it helps to remember that Jesus had neighbors too! He took the time to talk with them while He was also doing the more miraculous things like healing some of them. Jesus took time to change water into wine at a nearby wedding. He raised a widow’s son from the dead at a neighboring village and showed fisherman how to catch enough fish for a month. But in His own neighborhood Jesus was rejected!

Do you have neighbors who have rejected our friendship, invitations to special events at church or even good mornings at the mailbox? But, their rejection doesn’t get us off the hook from the command to love. Instead, Jesus might say, “Welcome to the club!”  He was so roundly rejected and His own brothers and sisters didn’t believe in Him and even Mary began to wonder about His sanity. But Jesus just kept on doing what He could. Jesus continued to share the good news that God had anointed Him to bring the gospel to the poor, freedom for the captives and sight for the blind. One day some of them would understand. His mother followed Him to the cross. Two of His brothers became apostles and more than half of His disciples came from the nearby city of Capernaum.

How can you give the gift of being a neighbor to someone this Christmas? Shepherds gave him praise. A small boy offered five loaves of bread. The woman at the well gave Him water and a rich man, a tomb to borrow for three days. Ask God for ideas, then step out in faith, because we will never know what He can do with what we give until we place it in His hands!

This morning I’m sharing one of my favorite Christmas songs called There’s a Rose in Bethlehem. May you have a blessed day and stay tuned for eleven more gifts along our journey to Christmas this year.

Find and Seek

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After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2 NIV

The hidden beauty of the wise men’s journey is that they came seeking a king without knowing who he was. Of course the films depict them as coming to find God’s Son, but if that were the case then why would they have asked at Herod’s palace for him? So, they traveled a thousand miles across deserts and mountains with costly gifts to win His favor.

But God has something far greater in mind than those Magi ever suspected. Instead of finding favor with a king, somewhere along the way they started to realize that who they were seeking was greater than any earthly king. Once they left Herod, they saw the star again and followed it to Bethlehem. Most likely that is when they began to understand that the someone they were looking for was mysteriously greater and more holy than they first imagined. Then the star came and stood over a humble house in a tiny village and they were filled with awe, in the presence of God’s Jesus and they bowed and worshipped Him. Our good news for today is that their joy of finding Jesus that night, can be ours as well this morning. Just like them, we can find Him if we seek Him, because, all the while we are seeking God; He is seeking us!

Remembering the Good

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Test everything, hold on to the good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Christmas has a way of being that time of year when we remember people, events and feelings. Things buried far back in our memory vaults walk by our side as we wrap gifts, put up decorations or send Christmas cards. At first it seems nostalgic, like a scene from an old film. But those happy emotions soon find there are other thoughts, painful ones riding the same bus. In fact before we know it, so many old hurts fill our minds that it is easy to forget the good.

But today’s verse reminds us not only to look for the good but to hold on tight to it. Don’t let it go. Because no matter what, in almost every relationship and experience there has been something good, even if just a hard lesson we learned. God has and will continue to have something good for us in His plan no matter how things appear right now. So go ahead, dust off those old ornaments, bake some old family cookie recipes and hold on to the good. The bad is way too heavy to carry, especially at Christmas!