Whose Birthday Is It Anyway
I think Santa Claus is a woman....
I hate to be the one to defy sacred myth, but I believe he's a she. Think about it.
Christmas is a big, organized, warm, fuzzy, nurturing social deal, and I have a tough time believing a guy could possibly pull it all off!
For starters, the vast majority of men don't even think about selecting gifts until Christmas Eve. It's as if they are all frozen in some kind of Ebenezerian Time Warp until 3 p.m. on Dec. 24th, when they - with amazing calm - call other errant men and plan for a last-minute shopping spree.
Once at the mall, they always seem surprised to find only Ronco products, socket wrench sets, and mood rings left on the shelves. (You might think this would send them into a fit of panic and guilt, but a friend tells me it's an enormous relief because it lessens the 11th hour decision-making burden.) On this count alone, I'm convinced Santa is a woman. Surely, if he were a man, everyone in the universe would wake up Christmas morning to find a rotating musical Chia Pet under the tree, still in the bag.
Another problem for a he-Santa would be getting there. First of all, there would be no reindeer because they would all be dead, gutted and strapped on to the rear bumper of the sleigh amid wide-eyed, desperate claims that buck season had been extended. Blitzen's rack would already be on the way to the taxidermist. Even if the male Santa DID have reindeer, he'd still have transportation problems because he would inevitably get lost up there in the snow and clouds and then refuse to stop and ask for directions. Add to this the fact that there would be unavoidable delays in the chimney, where the Bob Vila-like Santa would stop to inspect and repoint bricks in the flue.
He would also need to check for carbon monoxide fumes in every gas fireplace, and get under every Christmas tree that is crooked to straighten it to a perfectly upright 90-degree angle.
Other reasons why Santa can't possibly be a man:
* Men can't pack a bag.
* Men would rather be dead than caught wearing red velvet.
* Men would feel their masculinity is threatened...having to be seen with all those elves.
* Men don't answer their mail.
* Men would refuse to allow their physique to be described even in jest as anything remotely resembling a "bowlful of jelly."
* Finally, being responsible for Christmas would require a commitment.
1. What is Christmas really all about?
a) Herod thought that it was all about him. (2:3)
One of the great difficulties surrounding Christmas is that we really believe that it’s about us.
TEN "ME ATTITUDES"
Every student is familiar with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) Too many have replaced them with what we might call "me-attitude" For example:
1. To make me happy, never disagree with my opinions on anything.
2. To make me happy, talk about the faults of others, I have none.
3. To make me happy, always speak to me, even if I never speak to others.
4. To make me happy, always praise me, even if all I do is criticize others.
5. To make me happy, serve me. I don't have time to serve others.
6. To make me happy, always love me, even though I display hatred for others.
7. To make me happy, let others do the work of the church, but let me share the credit.
8. To make me happy, let the preacher preach to all those "Bad" people and leave my family and me alone.
9. To make me happy, let others continue to contribute Most of the money, but let me tell them how to spend it.
These kind of people need the love of Christ which will enable them to love
others, as well as themselves. (Romans 8: 9-11 & Ephesians 3: 16-19).
Yes we give gifts because we want to/have to. Giving is never the problem, People very rarely have regrets about the things that they do for others. Normally it is the issue of return that causes us some pain. Are we adequately appreciated? Do people really appreciate us? Christmas brings back bad memories of something that someone did to us or something traumatic that happened to us, Rather than the holiday reminding us of Christ, we are once again reminded of us.
God doesn’t want your stuff. As shiny and expensive as our trinkets may be, they don’t catch his attention or draw his eye. There are times when people fail to come to Christ because they think that he wants their stuff. He doesn’t want that new car but he does want you to fall hopelessly in love with him – the same way that he loves you. God really owns our stuff when he owns us. He doesn’t want the car but he might know of one of his kids who needs a ride to church – if he owns you then he can provide that need for someone else. If he doesn’t own you he can’t.
He’s not really interested in your kingdom either. Herod was in a panic because he thought that this young baby would one day take his throne. God does not aspire to rule our political systems.
b) The Magi knew exactly what it was about. (2:2)
People who understand that Christmas is not about them see and experience things that others miss. I believe that Christmas should be a time of rejoicing for the Christian but it never will be if we focus on ourselves. These men we actively seeking something that happened miles away from them while Herod was perhaps two years ignorant of something that took place underneath his nose because again life was all about him.
2. The central character is Christ.
Funny how a $10.00 bill looks so big when you take it to worship but so small when you take it to the supermarket.
Funny how reading the church bulletin is a chore, but reading a 30 page newspaper every day is a habit you have grown to enjoy.
Funny how long an hour is spent in worship, but how short it is when golfing, fishing, or attending a ball game.
Funny how we applaud when the ball game goes overtime, but we complain if the worship hour is over the regular time.
Funny how laborious it is to read a chapter in the Bible, but how easy it is to read a 300-page novel.
Funny how much difficulty some have learning the simple Gospel well enough to tell others. But how simple it is for the same people to understand and explain more difficult subjects.
Funny how people scramble to get a front set at the ball game, but scramble to get a back seat at services.
Funny how we cannot fit a Gospel meeting into our schedule with a year to plan for it, but we can adjust the schedule for other events at a moment's notice.
Funny that parents are so concerned about school lessons but are completely unconcerned about Bible lessons.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided he/she doesn't have to believe, or to think, or to say, or to do anything.
All of this would be funny if it were not so tragically true!
See: Prov 18:1; Phil 3:19; 2 Tim 4:3
What happens when we lose focus on Christmas as Christ’s birthday and begin to look within?
q We begin to see all the things that we have to do or that we are expected to do.
q We normally discover that we are at a lack to do all those things.
q We grow increasingly tires as the season progresses.
q We feel unappreciated as we grow more weary. We are aware of the effort that we are putting forth and wonder if anyone really cares.
q The things that people do for us fall short of our expectations and we are disappointed.
q We rehearse the hurts of past Christmases.
q All the anticipation and preparation turn to a pile of trash within a few short minutes on Christmas morning.
q We are left with our debt to manage for another year when we repeat the same process. It’s not Christmas that we don’t like it’s what we agree to be come a part of that presents the problem.
I received a little printed form the other day with a rather intriguing title: How to Be Perfectly Miserable. And it goes on to list a few things you can do that will not only make you perfectly miserable but also keep you that way.
1. Think about yourself.
2. Talk about yourself.
3. Use the personal pronoun "I" as often as possible in your conversation.
4. Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others.
5. Listen greedily to what people say about you.
6. Insist on consideration and respect.
7. Demand agreement with your own views on everything.
8. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them.
9. Never forget a service you may have rendered.
10. Expect to be appreciated.
11. Be suspicious.
12. Be sensitive to slights.
13. Be jealous and envious.
14. Never forget a criticism.
15. Trust nobody but yourself.
3. The essential ingredient is worship ( 2:2 We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”)
q They bowed down
This is the issue of Lordship. Does Christ really have the freedom to rule your life today and to use it for His glory? Have you bowed down to Him totally?
q They worshipped Him.
That’s what they came to do. And they made every effort to accomplish it. No one else in the world can make you do that. It is a decision that you must make and you alone.
Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, to work at their play and to play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair, and their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot.
n Gordon Dahl
What does it take to worship God as He would be worshipped?
n A heart that is hungry for Him more than anything else.
n Focused attention
n The expression of the deepest parts of your heart as you know them.
n Surrender
n Availability to His interests
n A heart that is clear of offense toward others.
n Relational harmony.
n No nursed or rehearsed hurts. A willingness to let those things go whether or not we are adequately “apologized to”.
n A willingness to temporarily set ourselves aside as best we are able.
4. The appropriate response is giving (2:11)
q They opened their treasures.
We need to lay them open before him. Did you ever reach into your wallet to select the lesser bill. We don’t want to have people see what we keep. But God does and there are those who tell us that he judges us more by what we keep than by what we give. Are your treasures open before Him?
q They presented him with gifts.
I have never known a generous person to complain about how much money it takes to run a church. Poor givers gripe about how much it takes; generous givers express concern that they don't do more.
I have never known a family who tithed for any length of time who quit.
I have never known a generous family that was not generally happy.
I have never known a stingy, miserly family that was not generally unhappy about many things.
I have never known a person who was critical of most things, mad about many things, who was generous.
I have come to believe that most people who feel we talk too much about money, never really want to talk about money at all. Generous people enjoy talking about it.
I have come to believe that there is a direct connection that exists between a person's faith and a person's generosity. Those who give generously tend to become more faithful; and the reverse is true in both instances. (copied)
See: Prov 11:24; Eccl 5:13; 2 Cor 9:7-8
5. The natural recipient is Christ.
The European cuckoo bird is a "freeloader" in its very unusual nesting habits. When spring comes, it does not construct a home for its yearly brood. Instead, the female searches out an unsuspecting "foster home" and lays an egg in the nest of another such as the hedge sparrow. The cuckoo's offspring is left to be hatched and cared for by its "foster parent." While still featherless and blind, the intruder soon dominates the nest by pushing the rightful occupants over the edge to death. Then it monopolizes all the attention of its new "parents."