All I want for Christmas is _____________?

Many years ago I remember a very funny commercial. It started with the announcer introducing a guy who loves Mondays. Most people do not enjoy Mondays because it’s either back to school or back to work. But this guy loved Mondays, he is walking around singing and celebrating. Finally the announcer says he can’t stand it any more, because no on should be that happy, especially on Monday, so then he yells, “Oh Shut up!” And slaps the guy.

What I remember the most is how that guy loved life! When we meet someone who is just packed full of life, we notice it.

The Scripture states that Jesus came so we might have life, and throughout the pages of the Bible the quality of that life is described.

The meaning of Christmas is different for many people, yet even with Santa or the Grinch there was giving involved. The Biblical meaning of Christmas is that God became a man. What did He bring with Him?  All that He is…which includes Life! Real Life!

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

v. 1-2 The Greek word for the “Word” is λόγος logos. A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus first used the term Logos around 600 B.C. to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. In John, Logos speaks of Christ, Who for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead. This is the clearest communication that God could have made to His creation concerning His love.

Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Someone captured the magic and mystery of the incarnation in graphic form:

   In Jesus divine omnipotence moved in a human arm;

   In Jesus divine wisdom was cradled in a human brain;

   In Jesus divine love throbbed in a human heart;

   In Jesus divine compassion glistened in a human eye;

   In Jesus divine grace poured forth in human lips.

v. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

This includes you and me! Jesus knows us inside and out, and He understands what would make our life abundant. This is why so many individuals feel their life is unfulfilling. When you do not have a relationship with the One that designed you, you will never experience that sense of purpose and destiny that He made you for. On the other hand, those that have a relationship with the One that made them, no matter the circumstances…which can be terrible in this fallen world…there is a deep sense of satisfaction in life due to their possessing an understanding of Why they are here and Where they are headed. If you claim to have that relationship, but find you are constantly living in discontent, I encourage you to check your connection with Him. Jesus stressed this many times, consider John 15:

John 15…“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing…“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love… “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

v. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

When we use the word “life” (ζωή zōḗ) we must be careful to bring from Scripture a context. This word can mean merely a heart beating and lungs breathing, however when spoken of what Christ brings that is not how it is used. “Life” in the Scriptures that refer to Christ denotes an essence of fullness, satisfaction and a genuine enjoyment. The life Christ brings is vital, vibrant and growing.

John 10:10…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

The word “abundantly” (περισσον perisson) means: Over and above, more than enough. What’s interesting is the repetition of (ἐχωσιν echōsin) which renders the verse to read “that they may keep on having abundance!” God desires us to have a continued life that is over and above, more than enough. Even so, He has chosen as a loving Father to allow us to make that choice for ourselves.

John 5:39-40 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

Let me leave you with three thoughts:

First, this abundance is not what the “health, wealth & prosperity” teachers are teaching. They make the “abundant life” equal material wealth; Jesus admonished us concerning this:

Matthew 6:31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

God may choose to bless some with wealth; most He does not. His greatest gift is the “quality” of life and eternity, not the temporal passing things of this world.  

Second, this is a hard concept because it is from the mind of God, and our minds have been affected greatly by the fall. The key is to gauge how much time do you spend allowing God to develop your inside, compared to how much time you spend taking care of your outside and worried if you are attractive enough, popular enough, wealthy enough or even “liked” enough on Face Book!

John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

When we let God take care of our outside and we focus on the inside, life becomes a wonderful adventure.

Third, what is the secret? Well contrary to too many books, there is no method! The only way to experience abundant living is to live close to the Lord.

Consider Paul’s balance concerning this life:

2 Corinthians 4…We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed...That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

What do you want for Christmas? How would you define your life? What do you feel you are missing in life? Why? What can you do about that?

How are you Willing to allow Christmas impact you?

Ivan Pavlov experimented with dogs and why they salivate. He showed that if they are conditioned to expect food they would begin to drool. He would ring a bell when he fed them; after a while if he rang the bell, even with no food, they still began to salivate. This is called a conditioned response. Some doctors that treat cancer patients have discovered that after treatment just going to the doctor’s office nauseates some patients. One lady who had cancer, months after she was done with therapy, while shopping in a grocery store she ran into the doctor that had treated her. She immediately threw up!

Christmas has always been one of my favorite seasons, way before I entered into a relationship with Christ. I believe I had a conditioned response to that time of year. I would long for cold temperatures, different colored lights, fireplace smoke in the air and favorite Christmas songs…many having nothing to do with Christ. When I discovered the real reason for the season, I wanted to change that conditioning. I still desire the “cultural” aspects of the Christmases I enjoyed, for all those things are not evil, but I wanted to have a new condition dominate the season. Now I begin this season with thoughts, meditations and reflections on my Lord’s becoming human and how that has changed everything for me. I still enjoy “Chestnuts roasting” but it takes a back seat to focusing on the unbelievable demonstration of the love from our God for all of humanity.

I met a young person who thought Jesus was a man with a big white beard and lived at the North Pole! All Santa could ever do is give gifts that perish; Jesus gives life, light and peace…both internal and eternal!

Let’s ponder the history of the first Christmas:

* It had been a shepherd’s normal day; Sheep feeding, making sure none wandered off, perhaps even having to protect them from a predator. Now that it was dark and the sheep were down for the long, hopefully quiet night, the shepherds that worked with each other could relax a little…still keeping an eye open for any unwanted visitors.  They may have talked about their day or maybe how the census that Caesar Augustus required was causing so many people to travel.  As they were speaking something wonderful happened!

Luke 2:8–20 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

These shepherds were not the “elite” of this world! They did not have fame, a published book, a lot of money or a wall filled with diplomas showing their keen intellect and scholastic accomplishments. These are the credentials the world looks to when anointing those they count as authorities on any topic. Though these items are positives when it comes to personal accomplishments, they mean very little when dealing with accepting and sharing Truth. The issue when dealing with Truth is the heart! A heart that is willing to accept Truth for what it is…Truth…has real authority. No agenda; bias or preference affects the Truth, it only twists it!  A willing heart takes what is given by Truth, accepts it and allows it to impact his or her behavior. These Shepherds did that and we can learn from their lives how we should be open to the Truth of Christmas.  

First, we see the Shepherds had a willing heart, which responds to God.

Notice: “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

The first thing they did was respond to what God told them to do. This is the nature of a willing heart, no matter the past mistakes. Consider the difference between The Pharisees at the empty tomb and Saul, the Pharisee, when the risen Lord confronted him. Saul responded immediately by falling on his face to worship, the Pharisees bribed Roman guards to lie! Saul was hard headed; the Pharisees were hard hearted! A willing heart can soften the stubbornness of the head.

Second, we see the Shepherds had a willing heart, which reports about God.

"They made known the statement which had been told them about this Child."

The shepherds all experienced this wonderful moment and wanted to share it with others! All of us as believers should connect with this experience, the time we realized Who Jesus was!

I have attended many weddings, often as the one performing the vows. As I watch individuals during the wedding service, I see many different kinds of reactions; tears, smiles, excitement and hope.  Yet, I have found a common thread with one particular group…the married women. All of them at one time or another, during the wedding, look up at their husbands, with a glaze in their eyes, tilt there head and give this slight smile and then, like the doggies in the back windows of automobiles with the spring necks, they just kinda start floating. Even a maid of honor did it, with her husband in the balcony! All were connected by a common experience! It was not something they had heard about, or dreamed about or even something they were hoping for. Each and every one of those ladies was remembering their wedding day. The experience was real and still has an impact on them now. Our experience of understanding Who Jesus is should always drive us to share that joy with others.

Third, we see the Shepherds had a willing heart, which rejoices because of God.

"The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them."

As a Pastor my counseling load would increase greatly at the Christmas season. Many times the reason was due to the circumstances, especially financially, that the person found himself or herself in. I understand being a little “down” if your budget limits what you desire to do during this season. However, if it dominates your days, you are not finding your joy in the True reason for this season. No matter the economy, weather or schedules, God is still the same! He sent His Son so you could enjoy a relationship with the Person Who made you, designed you, has a great plan for you and NEVER stops loving you! We need to find our joy in that Truth!

Meditation: What dominates your thoughts during this season? Are you excited about it? Why? Are you feeling let down by it? Why? Are you making yourself take just a little time each day to reflect on your relationship with Christ? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to condition your heart to be a “willing” one?