One of my favoriteChristmas songs that I love to hear that really gets me into the Christmasholiday spirit is Donney Hathaway and Nadine McKinner’s, “This Christmas.” Hang all the mistletoe I’m gonna get to know youbetter This Christmas And as we trim the tree How much fun it’s gonna betogether This Christmas This Christmas is a songof enjoying a special and intimate Christmas holiday with someone you love,caroling through the night, exchanging presents and enjoying the Christmaslights. This Christmas some childrenwill be waiting for Jolly ol’ Saint Nick to come down the chimney with his bagsof goodies and toys to leave under the tree of every good girl and boy. This Christmas, your family and mine willlook forward to gather around the television set and watch a Charlie BrownChristmas and those old Rankin and Bass stop motion shows like Rudolph the RedNose Reindeer, and Santa Clause Is Coming To Town, and It Was A Year Without aSanta Clause as we all sing the Heat Mizer and Cold Mizer song. This Christmas we’ll play our old Christmas tapes and CDsor turn on the radio to a station that will play 24 hours of Christmas music toget us in the holiday mood. We’ll drivedown the road singing Bing Crosby’s and David Bowie’s Peace On Earth and LittleDrummer Boy Medley or The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole or Joy To The World,Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and Silent Night by various artists, on our newChristmas CD we bought at Target. ThisChristmas, we’ll brave the cold, terrible traffic and folks fighting in longlines in the stores or spend an enormous amount of our time on our laptops andiPads to find the best prices on the internet and run up our credit cards toget that toy that little Jimmy and little Suzie has been bugging us about forthe past six months. This Christmas we’ll be out partying like it’s still 1999at the company’s Christmas party...oops…Holiday Party….you’re not allowed to say Christmas anymore in certain circles of our communities. But partying none the less, with the spiked eggnog and with the married executives who will be introducing the young ladiesthey bring to the party as their daughters or nieces…wink…wink! This Christmas many will have the dilemma ofdeciding whether to stay home and open presents on Christmas morning by thenice warm fire place and watching “Miracle on 34 Street” andcollege bowl games or whether getting dressed and coming to church on time for worship,since the day we have set aside to celebrate Jesus’ birthday will fall on aSunday. But this Christmas, while thefireside is blazing high and we’re caroling through the night, and while thisChristmas will be as very special Christmas for you and for me, I want everybodyto know and encourage you that for this Christmas, I’m gonna get to know youbetter…Jesus! I want to get to know Mary’s baby boyjust a little bit better this Christmas! I want to get to know him in the fellowship of his suffering! I want to walk with him, I want to talk withhim, I want him to tell me that I am his own, and the joy we share as we tarrythere none other shall ever know! Anybody want to get to know him better this Christmas! Anybody want a closer walk with Jesus thisChristmas! If there’s one gift that Ican receive on this Christmas, it’s that I want to get to know youbetter…Jesus! Help me to know your mind,Jesus! Hide your word in my heart sothat I will not sin against you. Help meto learn your precepts and your ordinance so that I can love you by keepingyour commandments! This Christmas, people are going to be walking aroundcelebrating someone whom they don’t really know. And it is imperative that we, who know Jesus,step out this holiday to help other to get to know him better in the pardoningof their sins. Baby, don’t you know thatthe gift of Christmas doesn’t have anything to do with a box, wrapping paperand a pretty bow. I know Madison Avenue coercesus to think that the best Christmas gifts are expensive and comes boxed andwrapped with a big fat bow on top and sparkling diamonds on the inside, but thebest gift of Christmas is the gift of salvation (See John 3:16). The baby Jesus, whom we sing about duringthis time, was born for the purpose of dying. He is the Father’s gift to an ungrateful people who have turned theirfaces from him and are worthy of death. Iheard Paul say, in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift ofGod is eternal life.” So just like the joy and excitement of children whentheir eyes sparkle and shine bright on Christmas morning, when they see andopen the gifts left under the tree, so it should be with those of whom we sharethe knowledge of Christ to lead them in getting to know Jesus better, andexperience true Christmas in their hearts for the first time. Like the Grinch who stole Christmas, they’llbe puzzled and puzzled till their puzzlers are sore. They’ll think of something that they hadn’tbefore. Maybe Christmas they’llthink…doesn’t come from a store. MaybeChristmas perhaps…means a little bit more. And what will happen, then? Well, in Westminster & Baltimore & Maryland& the USA, etc. they’ll say - that the sinner’s heart grew, three timesthat day. And then – the true meaning of Christmas did come through, and the sinner found salvation through Jesus’ bloodby the witnessing from you! So tell yourneighbor, that this Christmas, because your witness is so important, you’regoing to get to know Jesus better. Be blessed! Pastor Daniels |
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CategoriesChristmasThanksgiving
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