Luke 1:5-17 and – Matthew 11:1-4
As a Christian, and as a pastor in the
Church of Jesus Christ our Lord, there are two times or seasons on the
Christian calendar that I look forward to; Christmas and Easter. Christmas comes to remind us of God’s love to
everyone of us… A love so great that He sent His only son…born of the virgin
Mary…born in Bethlehem’s manger…the incar-nation of God himself in the
flesh…God with us! A reminder that God
loved us so much He became one of us, which is what we begin once again to
celebrate today. The second time or
season is Easter. Easter comes to remind us of God’s grace… God’s mercy and
unmerited favor. A time when this same Jesus, this same baby born in the manger
was to die on the Cross of Calvary as a final sacrifice for the sins of the
world…your sin and mine! The thing that
is most important to those who are Christians is that we properly prepare for
both events.
The unique thing about Christmas and Easter
is that they are forever tied together… And, that these two events are also
tied forever with a third event that is yet to take place, and that is the
rapture of the church when Christ comes again!
So, let me begin by stating a fact; “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”… And, asking the question; “Are we prepared”?
This is the time of year when everyone starts to get ready for Christmas. The stores are packed with people seeking out good deals on their favorite gifts; Houses are decorated with lights and trimmings and yards become showcases of Christmas splendor. Usually the preparations include cleaning efforts and some rearranging around the house. Then, of course the final preparation is to put all the gifts under the tree. I want to use all these things this morning as an illustration of how God wants us to prepare for Christmas. You see, when we truly prepare for Christmas, there is a time of personal cleansing and a decorating of the heart. When we prepare for Christmas, there will be a rearranging of priorities. And, finally, when we prepare for Christmas, there is a receiving and giving of gifts.
1st of all, there ought to be a time of personal cleansing. Matthew 5:8 is a part of the Sermon on the Mount, and in it Jesus says “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God”. Blessed in the original Greek also means “happy”. I think that God is speaking to us saying; “If you want to truly see me this Christmas, if you want a “happy heart” … you must have a pure heart…a cleansed heart. I don’t know about you, but I must admit there are days when my heart is not happy…In fact, there are even times when my heart feels more polluted than pure. I think that the Psalmist David felt this way as well…and he cried out; “Create in me a clean heart O God”… In the Book of Ezekiel 36:26 God says “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;” The good news is that – like David – a personal cleansing begins in the heart, and all we must do is ask…”Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me”. ..It is God’s desire to decorate our lives with his blessings and make our lives beautiful…revealing the splendor, and the glory, and the majesty and the mystery of Christmas. God will do it if we ask, and we are on our way to preparing for Christmas in the proper way.
2nd. - Preparation calls for a rearranging of priorities. Just as we rearrange our homes to make room for the tree and other aspects of Christmas, God wants us to rearrange our lives to make room for His Son, and the blessed Christmas story. Sometimes we become somewhat immune or numb to the story of Christmas. We have heard it so many times, we have seen it so many times, it has lost it’s meaning. But, when we put Christ at the center of Christmas and at the center of our priorit-ies, God’s blessings begin to rapidly flow into our lives…and overflow into the lives of those around us! We may even feel like singing!…“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”
We are not prepared for Christmas until our hearts are cleansed; the decorations are up; our priorities are in place; and #3 – there is the giving and receiving of gifts.
The Bible says “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. The Greek meaning of the word “receive” means to “welcome or accept”. So John, speaking of receiving Christ into our lives, also means we are to accept him and welcome him! Not just in part, but completely. Not just at Christmas time, but all the time. God has given us an incredible gift, and by accepting, receiving, and welcoming that gift into our lives, we literally become a part of God’s family. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” said Jesus. There is a fullness of life that can hardly be explained that comes from receiving God’s gift of His Son.
One of the phrases we hear a lot this time of year is “It’s better to give than to receive”. However, in this case, it is indeed better to receive than to give! In our case, we can – and must – give after we have received! But, what can we give God that He doesn’t already have? What gift would God desire from us? Well, God doesn’t require anything FROM us…He desires US! He wants our hearts (devoted to Him) He wants our minds (in order to impart His wisdom to family, friends, and the world) He wants our hands to work through to build His kingdom; He wants our feet to carry the Gospel message; He wants our eyes, our mouth, our time, our abilities; you get the point! He wants all of us! God cared enough to give the very best! Can we do any less in return?
So, where are we with our preparations for Christmas this year? Will we be content to prepare the house and call it good for another year? Or, will we take the time to cleanse the heart; to rearrange some priorities to make more room for Christ; Maybe this year we will not only receive God’s gift, but will be willing to give of ourselves in return. This year the splendor and the wonder and the glory of Christmas can truly come alive once again if we do what it takes to prepare!
The angel said of John; “He will go before the Lord in the spirit and the power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
God’s voice is the voice of promise; It is the voice of blessing; It is the voice of love… Do you hear what I hear?
When I look into the manger of Bethlehem, I not only see a baby…I see a Savior…Do you see what I see?
Every time I see and hear the Christmas story, and relate or tie it together with the Easter story – the birth…and the resurrection – it gives me the assurance that Jesus was the Son of God… And, I know that by believing in him I have God’s loving, free gift of eternal life…Do you know what I know?
Christmas isn’t about the birth of a baby…It is about God in a manger!
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