One of my favorite stories is the tale about Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol." The tale of course is about a miser who says "Bah Humbug" a lot, being a real mean and difficult person to all he meets. Then he is visited on Christmas eve by 3 Ghost who help to transform the old goat into a kinder gentleman by the books end. Well, I do not really believe in Ghost, except the Holy Spirit, who does come and speak to us. He comes not just on Christmas eve but everyday that we will listen.
Kathy and I finally put up our tree last night, (I think we both have a bit of Scrooge in us) and it looks nice and has put me into the festive mood. I thought I would write a bit about Christmas and what all of us might need to remember to keep the Scrooge away. I looked back through some old photos and found this one at the top of the page. It is from Christmas 1980. This is the first year Kathy and I had children. Actually in 1980 it was a child. Bradley's first Christmas. Santa brought the 2 month old baby boy some neat stuff. The Raccoon was really cool. This was Kathy and I first moment to be in the role of givers to our children. The photo probably does not affect you the way it does me, but as I saw it memories flooded my mind. And so it is at Christmas for all of us. Memories, traditions, and moments that we cherish for the remainder of our lives.
No doubt we have been blessed at Christmas in the past. Gifts, food, fun times all with a big dose of love. But this is not true for everyone. One of the saddest things I ever saw in my life was one Christmas night a few years ago that I chose to go on a shift with the police on Christmas night. We were called to the scene of domestic dispute in an apartment complex that was on the sad side of town. The argument it seems was between the two adults in the apartment over the last hit of crack cocaine. The two little children were huddled in their bedroom with their two little beds and a small TV with a few children's videos. This was the only furniture in the apartment except for a mattress on the floor in the other bedroom. There was no sigh of anything related to or resembling Christmas at this home. We were there a while because the two adults were going to another place for the evening wearing new shiny silver bracelets and some other family members were coming to take custody of the two children. As we waited I opened the refrigerator wondering if these children had been fed. The only thing in the frig was a spoiled chicken. It stunk to high heaven, as did this whole scene. A few years later on Christmas morning I was called to the scene of a shooting. It seems a police officer had been attacked and had to take the life of person who was obviously out of their mind. The person had violently attacked the officer who had to defend himself. Sad times indeed. I cannot help but think about these two tragedies as Christmas approaches.
This is bit of a troublesome time of year for many people face their families that they may have struggled with in the past. They try to get together and celebrate, but opinions, past actions, and hard feelings seem to dominate the moment. Maybe all these type things are what had turned Mr Scrooge into a bit of a Grinch. The reality is we live in a fallen world with lots of trouble and we all know this fact.
Christmas this year will be a bit different than the past for Kathy and I, as our parents have gotten older and we cannot have celebrations at the places and with them as we did for so many years. Our children and of course our grandchildren are thousands of miles away. So we will have only part of the family to hold and share a Christmas dinner. But I know that the true spirit of Christmas will not be lost. It is there in my memory and in my heart because I know that Christmas is about my Savior. The truth about Christmas is what makes it so special and here is Scripture to put Christmas into perspective.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 NLT
I remember my mom reading this to us when my brother and I were just little tiny boys. Do not let any opportunity to share this truth with others go by here at Christmas. This is what it is all about. Christmas is about the coming of the Lord to make all things right in our live. He came to forgive our sin. He came because of God's love for us. Jesus is the greatest gift of all time and never let any other circumstances of Christmas past, present, or future cause you to forget this truth.
Here is this years tree. More tomorrow on Christmas Present.
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