I am always challenged at this time of the year to know what is HIS heart during this season when we supposedly are to be putting “Christ back into ‘Christmas’”. In order to “do” just that it pre-supposes that we have a true grasp of what Christmas is (and isn’t) AND that we have a revelation of Christ. All the wise men knew was that they saw a sign in the heavens which the prophecies reportedly indicated that a new king had been born. They sought for a king. They wanted to witness for themselves whether the sign was true and be the first to pay homage to the King. They followed the sign, paid the cost, and in seeking Him out, they obtained what they were looking for. Their efforts were not in vain, but did they have a revelation of Who Jesus really was and His full reason for coming?
We are urged to seek HIM also, and it is promised that, if we DO seek for Him, with all of our heart, He WILL be found. And, in finding HIM, we will have found the greatest treasure in heaven and in earth. Like the kings of old, if we are wise, we too will seek hard after Him!
But there is much more to seeking Him than looking for, and celebrating the birth of a historical Jesus, as great as it was that He came to earth. May I remind us all that HE never once asks us to celebrate or even remember His birth. Christians the world over make such a huge deal about “Christmas” and go to great lengths to make sure we cannot be accused of being a “scrooge”; someone who selfishly avoids or criticizes the idea of giving during the festive season of “Christmas”. The scripture says the Lord loves a cheerful (happy, spontaneous) giver… one who gives WITHOUT OBLIGATION. The moment we enter into giving because an obligation to give is placed upon us, it is no longer giving “from the heart”, and God, Who is the biggest and best giver of us all, is no longer blessed by our “giving”.
Wise men still seek Him and in finding Him they receive (are given) Him… The King of kings! He comes and lives and abides within. HE becomes the giver of Life… to us, in us and through us to others. He IS a Life-GIVING Spirit and if we have truly sought Him out and have found Him, and have received Him into our hearts, we have received the GIVER OF LIFE, right within US! What greater gift can we possibly give one another, but HIS LIFE! …To literally give HIM to someone else, so that they too can receive the greatest gift ever given, is to give of ourselves, as He exemplified.
To truly seek HIM is to seek His kingdom (His rule in our hearts) and His righteousness (His right way of doing things), FIRST and CONTINUALLY in ALL situations and circumstances where we have the ability to do so. This seeking, however, is costly! It will cost us our pride, our self-determination, our desire to “do-it-MY-way”…. Ultimately it will cost us our all, even our very lives. But that is precisely what He is after…. OUR LIFE! It is a divine exchange…. Our life for His
He takes our life… ALL of our hopes, ALL of our fears, ALL of our wants and desires, ALL of our issues and problems, ALL of our worries, illness and pain, ALL of the things of this world… and in exchange… He gives us Himself!
He gives us freedom… from the power of the law of sin and death!
He gives us Joy, which becomes our strength to endure life’s hardships.
He gives us His divine provision so we will never go hungry or unclothed.
He gives us a knowledge of the Truth in everything we see and hear allowing us to sort out the many confusing voices in the world.
He gives us peace because the Prince of Peace dwells within and because…
He has given us His forgiveness we can fellowship with Him ALWAYS, even when we have committed the “worst” sin….
He never pushes us from His presence, or withdraws Himself from us.
He gives us His love… for us, AND His love through us for others, even for those who are not easily loved.
He gives us His Spirit of Wisdom that we can navigate life’s decisions and issues.
He gives us talents and creativity with which we can be an inspiration and blessing to others.
He gives us power over our own propensity to sin (miss the mark).
And, as was mentioned already, He gives us His divine LIFE!
WOW!… hardly a fair exchange wouldn’t you say?
So, if we truly are going to put Christ back into “Christmas”, we will commit to living HIS life, and seeking HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness EVERY day of the year.
If we are truly living for what blesses His heart, we will set aside all that is designed to merely bless and please ourselves. I have found over the years that more and more I am setting aside, in my own heart, the obligatory aspects of Christmas and in their place I seek to celebrate, appropriate and experience that which HE does desire, namely…. Christ IN us (mass), the hope of glory!
I pray you will be blessed with His Life through this season and throughout the coming year/s, and that we will all have the grace to seek HIM and HIS kingdom knowing that as we do, ALL these things will be truly and fully added unto us.
EnRoute to Metamorphosis 
My brother was here from Vancouver visiting our mother so we spent more time at her place than usual the past few days. She’s virtually blind in one eye so her sense of depth/distance perception is distorted and her perspective of things is delusory (causing one to believe what is not true or fail to believe what is true).
Although my mother still gets by on her own, spending so much time with her these last few days I saw how this loss of vision causes all kinds of problems in her daily activities. My mother has accepted that nothing short of a touch from God can restore her sight. She’s adjusted her life to her distorted perception and delusory perspective and gets by day to day as best she can.
Reading your blog post about Christmas caused me to think how Christian religion reminds me a lot of my mother.
Much, if not most of Christendom has lost sight of who Christ is and who they are in Christ. As a result Christendom’s perception is distorted and perspective is delusory, as evidenced by the “big deal” made about Christmas.
Unlike my mother, Father God has graced people, like yourself, to communicate His Truth and manifest His life. What you’ve written about the true meaning of Christmas is like salve to put on our eyes, that we may see. Rev 3:18
Touch us Lord, that we may see.
Hey Bro,
Thanks for leaving this thoughtFULL comment to my post. AMEN! Lord, may we see and be bold to declare what, and Whom, we are seeing!
Hi Tim,
I still owe you a call, but thought I’d jump in on your note…
I am two ways when it comes to Christmas. On one part, I hate the commercial side of the season and the obligations as you have put it. I find myself a little Bahh humbug about it all. I have been on holiday (not vacation) for the last two weekand have really ben overwhelmed by advertising and the business of the season. In my quieter times while sitting at the rink, I have had moments to reflect. Mostly I am grateful that there is a time of year where everything else in business slows down and its OK to leave work behind us and think about other things. I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with Christine and have really enjoyed that. I have had the opportunity to listen to god’s gentle whisper in a few places in my life…finances, personal goals, work , ministry (mainly to men), family, physical (I am training for my black belt with Tylan).
I have also had time to read a bit. I read a book called “The Map” by David Murrow and have seen some interesting things in christ’s journey in the book of Mathew – from surrender (1 to 7) to strength (8 to 25) and then to sacrifice ( remander of Mathew). For the most part I am impressed that during the strength stages of Jesus journey, he shows us how to be strong, bold and courageous while still being loving, kind and gentle (I think the Pharasis may have struggled to agree with that one though). I am wrestling with how to bring that same message of strength, boldness and courage to a feminized church body that seems to be stuck with surrender and sacrifice alone. I am on this journey and this season has kicked it into gear.
I guess I write this to you to encourage you that there are other travellers along the way that take this time to stop and reflect and remember. It is my hope that others do the same. Christmas may just be the Passover time that God uses to remind us every year that Jesus left his throne to be with us. I do not pretend to understand or comprehend how this is possible or what it must have taken to do that, but I always consider that at this time of year. And I need to remember.
I am of two minds about Christmas. One, I am driven crazy by how the world has treated it, but I know that that will always be in the world. The second, I am grateful because I have had time to slow down, consider the work of Christ and how I can jump in on what he is doing. Getting to play some hockey and go skiing sure hasn’t hurt either!!!
Troy
Dear Tim,
PTL and…surely a word to the wise; and IN CHRIST, He has made us wise to HIS ways, able to see (as Reg points ut in his comment) and able to hear.
Appreciate what you share about Christmas and all that is made about it. Even Christians who “know better,” still become a bit put out because we are not “celebrating properly,” whatever that is – and if you do not wish one and all a “Merry Christmas.” As you point out, it is, often, “obligatory” giving. I would ask people why they do not “give in love” during the rest of the year? Is not every day a day to rejoice in the birth, AND the crucifixion, AND the resurrection, AND the ascension, of our Lord?
It was a joy to see this from you…and, Lord willing,there will be more.
Manna from heaven, food for the spirit and the soul.
Thank you.
Had more to comment, but…we are in St. Augustine, Florida, with family, and so…attention is divided.
Thank you for blessing me with this wonderful message by e-mail. It made me feel blessed again because Jesus is my Saviour and only Hope in this world.
You really make it appear so easy along with your presentation however I in finding this matter to be really something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and very huge for me. I’m looking ahead to your subsequent post, I’ll try to get the grasp of it!