Jesus’ family was poor and they could not have imagined the modern “essentials” that we give to one another at Christmas. There would have been no clutter to get in the way. The Roman census had forced the young couple to leave their families in Nazareth to travel to Bethlehem, adding their names to the list. They would have had very little with them.

There was no baby shower, no hospital help, no material comfort. We can be assured that God was there ensuring that His Son entered this world safely. He announced the birth with angels and a radiant star. He sent both shepherds and wise men to worship Jesus. We are also encouraged to worship Him. Our focus should be on the Savior and we should not remember Him briefly at Christmas and then forget.

The wise men gave Jesus valuable gifts: far more significant and costly than Mary and Joseph could have imagined. Do you realize that God wants to give you gifts way more valuable than those that your relatives can buy in the store? God is a “triune” God which means that He is one in three persons. At the first Christmas God the Father stayed in Heaven, as God the Son was born in Bethlehem. Once Jesus returned to Heaven after He died and rose from the dead (to secure the forgiveness and salvation for those who believe in Him) believers were filled with the third person of the Trinity: God the Holy Spirit. They were also given special gifts so that they could effectively help people on earth be blessed by God. These include  the “gifts” of communicating God’s message and the ability to help and to heal others.

Let’s push aside the clutter and the materialism and instead let’s worship Jesus. He alone can give us the gifts we need to be cleansed of our sins, filled with love and to have the capacity to love and to help our world as we share Jesus with them. In the movie “The Grinch who stole Christmas”, the Grinch’s heart trebled in size when he saw an unselfish response to Christmas and he became a good Grinch. When we receive the gift of Jesus’ presence (God the Holy Spirit) in us, our hearts will more than treble: they will burst with love for Jesus and for others.

John’s Gospel explains that Jesus came into the world that He created and most  people failed to recognize Him or to believe in Him. There are exceptions and some people responded and continue to respond to Jesus…”to all who believed Him and accepted him, He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” John 1: 12-13

If you are willing to walk away from your old sinful life and become a child of God, Jesus will give you a new, clean heart, capable of love that even the reformed Grinch was not capable of. You can be re-born as a child of God with the Holy Spirit(Jesus) in you.

Please receive the best Christmas present that you can receive. By now you may have grown tired (already) of your Christmas presents but Jesus is fulfilling forever.

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

The Best Christmas Present

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Perhaps the changes are partly driven by the spluttering economy. Most Americans actually celebrate Christmas and it makes good marketing sense to target this huge national festival with its proper name to encourage more present buying. Whether the tiny minority of atheists like it or not, the vast majority of their compatriots still consider Christmas Day special and celebrate it.

While I was cooking some food for a Christmas Eve party, I was half watching the movie “The Grinch who Stole Christmas.”  Alice and Martyn were really watching the DVD but I was doing the usual multi-task viewing.

After the Grinch stole the people’s presents he was expecting them to moan and wail but instead the little girl took them to a higher level and they sang happily, celebrating Christmas despite the absence of presents. When the Grinch saw that their Christmas was not reliant on what could be bought in the store, his heart trebled in size and he became a transformed creature!

My youngest still strongly connects Christmas with acquiring the must-haves of teenage living. Materialism is a negative aspect of Christmas and I can see how the Christmas cheer in Whoville after the disappearance of the gifts was a wonderful tribute to their focus on more important aspects of Christmas.

Finally the ‘Whos’ ended their rivalry over which family had the best Christmas lights. Community unity in the face of a common enemy is precious. We will not encounter the threats of the Grinch this Christmas unless we choose to be entertained by him.  However we should remember that we need our family and friends and we will be happiest when we strive to keep the peace and enjoy and encourage one another. The quality of the food or the presents should not be the dominating features of Christmas.

To focus on what is important, we need to put the Christ (Jesus) back in Christmas. Only He can help us choose the right priorities and enable us to love our families even when they are materialistic, and unhelpful. As Christmas is the celebration of His birth it would make sense for us to make some time for Jesus. The beginning of the books of Luke and Matthew tell us more of Jesus’ birth. Reading these verses on Christmas will help us keep the right focus.

Merry Christmas!

This is a post from: WomenRespond.com

A ‘Who’ Christmas

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2. Christmas: how we Celebrate the Real Meaning of Christmas When we first arrived in The States, I was overwhelmed by the importance given to...