All I Want For Christmas Is You

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

As we wrap up this midweek sermon series - where we are reminded of all these secular songs we hear out in the world and how we use them for a Springboard to talk about the love and compassion of Jesus found in this Christmas season.

Today, we are reminded of the a familiar song, some argue too familiar, the song, “All I Want for Christmas is You”. This is newer song released by Mariah Carey in the year 1994. This song if you haven’t heard it, is about someone in love - and they are willing to give up all these different things that are associated with the Christmas season in hopes to be with the person that they love. The song has lines in it talking about giving up the idea of having presents underneath the tree - in hopes that the singer will get to be with that other person. It talks about be willing to give up this idea of a White Christmas - saying “I won’t even wish for snow” - because they view their love for the other person even greater. This song is all about condensing down the Christmas list for the other person in hopes that they will be able to be together. In the build up to Christmas instead of thinking this way, we tend to do the opposite. This song is talking about doing the opposite that everyone naturally does around the Christmas season. We unlike this song, instead of pairing down, we tend to clutter. We tend to add more to the Christmas lists of all the things that we are hoping for this year. We tend to add more to the Christmas activity to do list with our families this Christmas season like we need to see the Christmas lights or we need to go ice-skating, or we need to build a snow fort - Christmas isn’t just the same without it. We tend to add more to the decorations, add more to the obligations, add more to checklists in preparations for the Christmas season.

And with all these different things that we add to our necessary Christmas’ lists, Jesus and the reason He is coming becomes one of the many things instead of the One Thing. With all of these different things added to our plates the holiday season, our joy can turn to stress. Our peace can turn to anxiety. Our minds can drift so far to the un-ending checklists - that we forget the reason for our joy and peace. In the midst of the busyness, especially this last week before Christmas, Jesus can and often more than we like to admit, becomes one of the many things, rather than the One Thing we celebrate this joyous season.

The people of God in the time and book of Hosea, our Old Testament reading, they turned their love for the True God, into one of many things on their hearts and minds. They were idolatrous, they were drawn to other false gods that they other people around them were worshipping. They found themselves distance from God -deserving His wrath, deserving His judgment, and deserving His punishment. It says in the first couple of verses from our text, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and burning offerings to idols.”This was the attitude of God’s people Israel. In the book of Hosea, in our text, God is pointing back to the days that He saved His people from slavery in Egypt, and He uses this imagery of a father and son. Despite God’s calling of His people, they kept drifting far from Him. For the people of Israel - God became one of the many things that they could pursue instead of the One True God for them to look to. But despite their unfaithfulness, in this section of Hosea, God remains faithful to His promises, He remains faithful to His people. Hear these words filled with compassion and mercy, “How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.”Despite their shortcomings - God speaks these words of grace that He will come filled compassion rather than judgment. That we will interact with them in mercy rather than punishment. He does not give up on His beloved people, because of His great love.

This Christmas is of course a season filled with happiness, a season for us filled with joy and peace, but it is a time filled with God mercy for us. Jesus the baby born in Bethlehem for us has come to deliver God’s grace, God’s compassion, God’s mercy to you. He saw us far from Him and He acted in love to do everything to have you! In a much greater way than the song, Jesus gave up everything just so He can have you and you can be close to Him! Jesus sacrifices His glory as He comes to this world in the most humble form possible a baby. Jesus for you forgets the suffering that He knows He is going to have to go through, so He can have you this Christmas season. Jesus, forgets about the cross that He will have to bear for us, so that you can experience His love and mercy. This Christmas season, Jesus gives it all up, for you. That’s how great His love is for you, that’s how valuable He finds you. He wants you!

In the build up in the Christmas season, in the craziness of things that have to get done and in less than a week to do them, may we continue to hear the words of mercy, the words of grace, the words of Jesus that He speaks calling us near to Him. May our hears be open to hear not just the traditional Christmas story, but the may we continue to hear the reason Jesus came to this world; the love motivated reason. All Jesus wants for Christmas is YOU!

Now may the grace of God the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, may it guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.