Last Saturday I took my eight-year old grandson to hockey. On our way home we talked about Christmas. He was telling me that he expected to get some more “Tech Decks,” miniature skateboards, which are the latest craze. After he talked about that and other stuff for a while, I asked him what he was going to get Jesus for his birthday. He looked at me kind of funny and so I explained that since Christmas was Jesus’ birthday and since people usually buy gifts for the birthday boy and not themselves, it only made sense that on Jesus’ birthday we would give him gifts.
Jack scrunched up his face in a puzzled kind of way and said he hadn’t really thought about that. In midst of another season of Christmas preparations I wonder how many people actually do?
Just imagine inviting people to your birthday party and everybody showed up with presents for themselves but nothing for you?
Or imagine people taking time off for your birthday but instead of attending your party they had parties celebrating something else?
Or just imagine that you invited your friends to a special celebration and instead of attending your party, a number of them skipped out and went to the mall to buy gifts for themselves or just stayed home or decided to attend some other seemingly more important function?
That is hard to imagine isn’t it?
Maybe not! Because it happens all the time doesn’t it?
Do you find it ironic that followers of Jesus skip church services at this special time of year to go shopping or to do baking or to arrange parties on the pretense of celebrating Jesus’ birth, Christ’s celebration?
How many “Jesus” people are somewhere other than at the party?
How many people are taking Jesus’ birthday off from work so they can have seasonal celebrations or Santa parties?
How many are out buying presents for everyone but the birthday boy, Jesus?
0 comments:
Post a Comment