19 Christmases

Another Christmas gone by and another new year. Time seems to fly by so fast sometimes. I guess when you think about it though 19 Christmases doesn't seem like that many. 19 Christmases, 19 years, and it comes to an end. An end for me at least. This Christmas was much different than any other. Maybe it was God continuing to teach me things from Haiti or maybe its now that I've grown a little from being a fresh-off-the-yes Christian that I now see Christmas very differently. I do know though, that this Christmas was my last Christmas. My last "americanized" Christmas.


As I went through the pre-Christmas weeks I found myself continually thinking, how have we lost the real meaning of Christmas this much? How could we have turned Christmas into something that doesn't even have Christ in it at all? And may I be as bold as to say, what are we as Christians thinking when we conform to the world and celebrate it like everyone else with just the extra church service thrown in!? These questions troubled me, the stores troubled me, receiving anything at all troubled me. 


And I think it should. I think it should trouble each and every one of us that call on the name of Jesus. As I thought more and more on what the true meaning of Christmas was, I felt God speak to me in some specific areas. Now don't get all up in an uproar, hear me out.


I don't think Christmas was ever mean to be about giving, apart from God giving Himself through the birth of Christ. Now let me first define what I mean by giving. Christmas is not about giving gifts or money. It was never meant to be about giving and recieving. 


To see what Christmas is really all about I think that we instead need to focus on why God gave His Son. Mark 10:45 says "The Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many people." So should we not instead serve in celebration of the birth of Christ? If Christ came to serve, shouldn't we be serving, especially at Christmas time? Should Christmas not be about laying down our lives, sacrificing everything for the sake of others? Or should we continue to give and receive yet another shirt, yet another gaming system, yet another material item that we already have such an abundance of?


You see there's a huge difference between giving and serving. Anyone can give. Anyone can throw some money at you. Anyone can purchase something, wrap it up, and hand it away. But to serve. To serve as Christ served. That's a whole different ball game. It's giving on steroids. It's not necessarily giving material things away, but giving your life away for the sake of the Gospel and God's people. 


I don't know what you'll be doing next Christmas. I hope not going through the motions. And I'm not sure exactly where God will send me, but I do know what I'll be doing in celebration of my King. Serving like I've never served before. For this is our whole meaning for existence, that He came to serve, He came to lay down His life, He came to redeem the world. Should we not do the same?