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This is the fourth and final sermon of our Ugly Christmas Sweater Series.
For the past few weeks we have looked at the ugliness that can take place during the holidays.
Today I want to look at the ugly actions.
During all seasons we have to be mindful of our actions, but Christmas is a season when we can make conscious decisions to bless people because of the blessing God gave us by sending Jesus to earth.
We have the ability to live like Jesus, but often we end up acting like an ugly Christmas sweater.
Kind of like this scene from Jingle all the Way.
Video - Jingle all the Way: The Fight for Turboman
It is at Christmas time when we often see the best of humanity and the worst of humanity, all at one time.
We celebrate the birth of our savior in a dimly lit room with candles and sing Silent Night.
Suddenly the next day, many of us join in with the rest of the country pushing and fighting for the newest iPhone at Best Buy and arguing over all kinds of things.
How is it that these two extremes happen all at once?
The Bible tells us we have two natures constantly warring against one another.
One nature inspires us to love people around us and live humbly, while the other nature causes us to want to look out for ourselves first while pushing others down.
This battle begins when we are very young and unfortunately does not get any easier as we grow older.
But, by the grace of God and his spirit living inside of us, we can grow to treat others the way God would treat them.
Paul wrote the book of Colossians as a letter to the people living in Colossae.
The Colossians are a lot like you and me in that they were a group of people who were trying to figure out what it looked like to love people well in light of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Somehow and someway, the sacrifice of Christ should have a profound impact on us as followers of Jesus.
if not, if we never make the shift from being ugly Christmas sweaters to something more beautiful.
It’s time for our ugly actions to become Godly actions.
Here are two truths to remember during the Christmas season.
1.
People Do Crazy Things in the Name of Christmas
Think about all the decorations we put up.
We drag all the decorations out to put all this stuff up in our house and on our front lawn for one month.
We go out and spend lots of money to buy things we don’t need for people that we won’t talk to for possibly another year.
There is something about this time of year that causes people to reorient their entire lives around the holidays.
This one holiday will cause schedules to change, attitudes to change, and budgets to change.
Why?
All because it is simply Christmas.
As Paul is writing to the Colossians, he is making a plea for the followers of God to reorient their lives in the same kind of way.
To be willing to live in unique and countercultural ways because of the love of God.
Paul is very persuasive in telling his audience that there can be no more excuses for not living life God’s way.
He expects it.
He says it this way in chapter 3.
Go to Colossians chapter 3.
Paul has a long discussion and then shares his final thoughts with his readers with this verse.
Everything we do in life, whether in word or deed, needs to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How much of our life?
All of it.
All of our lives should be lived in the name of Jesus.
So, how are you doing with this?
If you were to look over the past month, how much of your life is lived based on your relationship with Jesus?
What percentage of your words and deeds are centered on Christ?
More often than not, our actions do not look like Jesus and are rather selfish and self-serving.
Paul tells us to make sure our actions are reflective of the fact that we are grateful for God’s grace in our lives.
When we give thanks for all God has already given us, then we are more ready to treat others with love and respect.
All in the name of Jesus.
The kind of intention it takes to wear a great outfit to a party is the same kind of intention it takes to live as God’s people.
You don’t just wake up each day with godly actions instead of ugly ones.
It is your choice.
Living the way Paul tells us to live is a lot like choosing a Christmas sweater.
2.
You Pick Your Outfit
No matter what kind of crazy sweater someone chooses to wear, they picked it.
Paul writes to the Colossians and gives them this insight for the kinds of actions their lives exemplify.
Go to verse 12.
The Greek word for “clothe” or “put on” is the word “Enduo.”
cloth or put on is Greek word “Enduo” which means to sink into a garment or to cover yourself.
Enduo literally means to sink into a garment or to cover yourself.
This is an active word Paul is using to paint a picture for his readers.
In order for us to love people well and not act like an ugly Christmas sweater, we must intentionally put on new and better kinds of actions.
The kind of intention it takes to pick out a great Christmas service suit or Christmas morning pajama set is the same kind of intention it takes to live as God’s people.
You do not just wake up each day with godly actions and avoid ugly actions.
We make the decision each day how we will treat others How we treat our spouses is important.
How we treat our children is important.
How we treat our friends is important.
Paul lists out what kinds of actions the spirit requires of us.
Look at what He says to clothe ourselves with.
First, he says, “Clothe yourselves with compassion.”
Compassion
This is the ability to see a situation from someone else’s vantage point.
To feel what someone else is feeling.
compassion is what leads people to serve others or to give sacrificially.
Compassion is the key to changing a broken world.
This takes a selfless attitude and results in people actually listening to one another.
Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with kindness.
Kindness
Kindness sounds like a simple word but it is much harder to actually live out.
Kindness is what happens when we are always looking for practical ways to serve one another.
Mowing a neighbor’s yard, buying groceries for a family under financial strain, or writing a letter just because you want to bless someone.
Kindness is saying the right thing at just the right time or taking action when you are in a position to make a difference.
Kindness is doing the right thing to positively impact those around you.
Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with humility.
Humility
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking about yourself less.
Humility is taking on the kind of mentality Jesus taught us and modeled for us.
Selfishness is ugly and is the basis of all sinful action.
Humility then is the way in which sin is overcome and the way of Jesus is made a reality.
Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with gentleness.
Gentleness
This comes from a word meaning controlled strength.
This word is not about weakness, it is about power.
This power comes from the spirit of God living in us, and it helps us control our impulses.
In gentleness, our actions express themselves in service to the weak and powerless among us.
This is not a word that describes a wimp; it describes someone who is not afraid to step into injustice or brokenness to instigate change.
Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with patience.
Patience
This word can be translated as long-suffering.
It means to put up with something for a long time before getting angry or giving up.
Clothing yourself in patience allows you to love people who are hard to love and serve people who are hard to serve.
Patience is the key to becoming someone who looks like Jesus, because spiritual maturity does not happen overnight.
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