Christmas: A great time to reflect

Christmas is here again. Along the same lines as Ricky Bobby explained in Talladega Nights, it’s time to give thanks for Baby Jesus!

In days gone by, before the ideology of “Political Correctness” took a grip on Western Society, Christmas was about remembering the arrival of the promised King, Jesus.

Now, Christmas is a great time to stop and reflect on what Christians actually believe about this man named Jesus.

So, Christians believe: 

• God created the Universe and everything in it, including us
• The picture at the beginning of the bible is that of God loving, providing, caring for, protecting, teaching etc his people
• In turn, as the creator, God is to be worshipped; put first in our lives; loved; revered; enjoyed, honoured

• All of humanity has rejected God
• We have made for ourselves other gods that take the place of the true creator God
• In the past, humans worshipped the stars, statues, animals etc
• Now, we worship money, sport, alcohol, power, status, technology, sex and the list goes on
• This is called sin. We separate ourselves from God
• As a result, we die spiritually and eventually physically

• God puts into effect a plan to rescue his people whom he created and loves
• This is what the Old Testament in your bible is all about
• God will come and rescue His people from their sin

• Jesus is God, the creator of the universe and rescuer of his people
• About 2 000 years ago, a baby was born
• This baby was the promised King, the fulfilment of the Old Testament

• Jesus lived the perfect life and died a sinners death
• Jesus did not sin, yet he died

• Jesus rose from the grave
• Although he died, he was resurrected bodily
• Completing the rescue mission

• God’s people, Christians, have eternal life after death
• The Christian’s sins were paid for by Jesus’s death on the cross
• Jesus defeated death by rising again
• Christians will be raised like Jesus was when he returns

• Jesus saved us so that we can live for him
• The New Testament explains what this looks like

In summary, Christmas is a great time to reflect upon Jesus and the true Christian message.

When you reflect, I wonder whether you agree these eight points and how they have or have not shaped your life.

If these have not shaped your life, start celebrating because Christmas is all about new beginnings and fresh starts in the King, Jesus.

Christmas and Gifts

If you are like me at this time of the year, you are probably thinking about gifts, family and what gift to give to which person.
 
Consider this, for a moment. There is a deeply moving scene in the Gospel of Mark, where we encroach upon a meeting between Jesus and some men. Suddenly, a poor woman enters, approaching Jesus while he sat, conversing with his company. The woman, who by entering into the presence of these men bravely violated many traditions, broke open an alabaster flask of ointment and poured it over Jesus.

This gesture of generosity washes quickly over our heads. Please understand a couple of key points here. Firstly the woman was poor; secondly, she broke open an alabaster flask and, thirdly, she poured the contents over Jesus’s body.

COOL FACT 1: An alabaster flask was a type of ancient jar, usually sealed, used for holding oils, perfumes and ointments. Alabaster was an expensive and rare material, similar to calcium and marble.

COOL FACT 2: The ointment, contained in the flask which the woman poured on Jesus, was nard, which too, was very expensive. It was used for moisturising, deodorising and comforting a guest after a long journey on foot.

In Mark, we see a poor woman, breaking open an expensive, precious flask, then pouring the valuable, most costly contents over Jesus. This, as I hope you see, is a huge sacrifice for a woman with very little. It’s like someone off the street, taking a bottle of Clive Christian’s Imperial Majesty Perfume, worth more than $200 000, taking it to some person they’ve probably never met, and pouring it over them in one hit.

Hint, hint - Christmas and gifts. Fret not, I’m not asking you to buy me a bottle of Imperial Majesty Perfume; I’m not even asking you to focus on the woman’s gesture. In actual fact, I want you to consider the woman’s most sacrificial motive.

By breaking the alabaster flask and pouring the ointment over Jesus’s feet, the woman is making a huge statement. More valuable than a rare and precious material or an expensive perfume, what Jesus offers is something that is far more treasured than anything else in our lives. Jesus offers us eternal life with him.

What the woman saw in Jesus was more than just a “nice guy” with some cool teachings. More deeply, she saw God, giving the ultimate gift: His life instead of ours – on the cross – suffering for those who trust him.

Now, this Christmas, while you do all your Christmas shopping, take some time to remember what the woman saw in Jesus. Remember the ultimate gift, waiting for you in Jesus!

Merry Christmas!

REF: Mark14:3-9

Jesus and Santa: Are they connected?

As Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I might share a couple of musings with you. One could be fooled into thinking that Santa and Jesus share something in common. They do both seem to be celebrated over the Christmas period. But, is there really a substantial connection between the two, or is it all just coincidence?

Growing up, I always thought Jesus and Santa must be connected. I believed that Jesus was born the King of Israel and Santa brought presents to celebrate his birth. If I was good, like Jesus wanted, I would receive a present from Santa. Perhaps, that is the connection between Jesus and Santa? Santa is Jesus' kind of henchman, delivering presents to 'good' god-fearing people, right? 

Obviously, this connection is not the case. Jesus and Santa, as you will clearly see, share nothing in common and I would like to demonstrate how. Let’s do a comparison between the two:

Jesus	Santa
Jesus died on the cross to give eternal life to those who don’t deserve it.	Santa gives gifts to only those who are good, those who deserve it; he gives coal to bad people.
Jesus teaches that all are unworthy (essentially evil).	Santa teaches that some of us are good and some are bad.
Jesus is loving towards those who don’t deserve it.	Santa is judgemental and intolerant.
Jesus is a historical figure. He lived, died and rose again to bring his followers to worship God.	Santa is a myth, perpetrated by and proclaimed to bring glory to the false god of consumerism.

Clearly, Jesus and Santa, theologically and ideologically speaking, are opposed to one another. And, obviously, no one actually follows Santa, religiously speaking, unlike Jesus. But, each year, children are, I'll label, indoctrinated into waiting for this big fat man to arrive. They are taught that if they are good, they will receive a gift. Whereas Jesus calls on us to rely and trust in him. Santa is worshipped as some sort of hero, thus robbing Jesus from his glory and honour. It sounds a little extreme, but just consider these things for awhile. 

So, who will you celebrate, or encourage your kids to celebrate this Christmas? Will it be a historical, generous man, who gave his life for you? Or will it be a big, fat, intolerant, judgemental man, who does not really exist?

In conclusion, Jesus offers to those who don’t deserve it eternal life; that’s you and me!! The error in the thinking or ideology behind “Santa” is the same error the Religious Leaders of Jesus time fell into, that being that God only accepts good people.

Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"(John 5:45-47)

In Moses, you have the Ten Commandments. No one can keep these, but in Jesus, the God-Man, we can be rescued by his death on the cross. Why not, this Christmas, celebrate the birth of your saviour, Jesus, the King of the Universe!

What the (2): Santa, Dutch Sailors and Coca-Cola!

At this point, after reading the title, you are probably thinking ‘I know where this is heading and I get that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus’. I can still remember the excitement as a child, the nativity stories and Christmas craft at school, the photo with ‘Santa’ and the huge wish list of presents. Then there was Christmas Eve with my brothers and the sleepless night before the big day where we got to open our presents and eat all the Christmas chocolates. It was heaps of fun!

As a young boy, I understood that the meaning of Christmas was about the birth of Jesus, which was for some unknown reason really special. “So what”, I thought, “Thousands of children are born every day”. Additionally, Santa, in my warped understanding, was somehow an agent of Jesus in delivering presents to “good” children. Santa was apparently Omnipresent (everywhere) and Omnipotent (all powerful). He saw your every move and was making a long list. Strangely, this was my understanding of God- that he was sitting in heaven demanding unattainable actions from me and marking down my every false move.

What is Christmas all about?

The general consensus is that Christmas is about Santa, family, fun and friends. After doing some research, I found that St Nicholas, or better known as Santa, was a Catholic man who did miraculous deeds (apparently raising many Dutch sailors from the dead). He would donate gifts on Christmas to ‘good’ children and the Dutch called him Sinterklaas, which is how we get Santa Claus.

This phenomenon hit the States when many Dutch sailors, who adored the story of St Nicholas, arrived in New York, spreading his legend everywhere. Coca Cola grabbed hold of the story and used Santa Claus as their Christmas icon. Today, Christmas is really all about Santa and presents.

Jesus, the birth of the King and Saviour

For thousands of years, the Jews had been waiting for a long awaited King who would rescue them and re-establish the Kingdom of God (Genesis 3:14-15; Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Isaiah 9:6). In eager expectation they waited for a child, who would be born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, from the blood line of David (a Jewish King, see 1st and 2nd Samuel Old Testament), anointed by God as the Christ and would be God incarnate (God in a human body). The Jews had been decimated, as you would notice if you read 1st and 2nd Kings in the Old Testament, not to add the reign of the Greeks and Romans. The Jews long awaited freedom, which would come through this King!

Jesus arrived on the scene about 2 000 years ago, fulfilling all these prophesies, which were predicted in the Old Testament. Jesus was and is the King of the Universe, who came to earth to re-establish the Kingdom of God and rescue all of humanity from their sin. He claimed that every human is sinful and evil and in need of him. The arrival of Jesus was a huge event, which was received both warmly and bitterly. He was ultimately crucified on a cross and resurrected three days later conquering sin, Satan and death.

Santa vs Jesus

So what does all this have to do with the Christmas celebrated today? To be truthful, absolutely nothing! If anything, the story of Santa Claus is totally antithetical to the real Christmas story. Jesus came to give the good gift of eternal life to the messed up, troubled and normal people, contrasted to Santa who gives gifts to ‘good’ people. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the incarnate God and our saviour and not a fat man who has prejudice against troubled people!

Am I suggesting that we discard celebrating Christmas this year? Absolutely not; Christmas is a great time of year, but I am urging you to reconsider, embrace and present the real meaning of Christmas this year. Why not give your children a gift not from Santa but rather from you, explaining that God gave his children the free gift of eternal life through his Son Jesus; not to good people but people who are broken and in need!