As promised, part 2 of my post about innapropriate reactions Christians can have during this time of year.

A couple days ago, I focused on how damaging it can be to our witness when we go on a crusade to make everyone acknowlege our beliefs at Christmas. When we try to defend Jesus by being pushy and reacting in anger, we defeat our own purpose. We need to understand that Jesus doesn't need us to defend Him from the trappings of secular Christmas celebrations. Today I want to consider some reasons why this is true:

1. Jesus is real - Santa is not: It blows my mind how anyone could percieve Santa as a threat to Jesus. Yet many Christians do all they can to make sure his name is not mentioned in their celebrations. One of my professors in Bible school actually said, "Santa Clause is the grinch that stole Christmas from Christ". Really? Is Santa public enemy number one for Christians and Christ? I fail to see how he could be a threat, seeing as he is a ficitional storybook character while Jesus is the Almighty God! To me that doesn't seem like much of a contest. I don't believe that Jesus is wringing his hands wondering how to deal with the old man who has a weakness for cookies, delivers presents to children, and most importantly, does not exist!

2. The use of the word "Holiday": Exactly when did the term "holiday" become a dirty word to us? The origin of the word actually comes from the idea of a "holy day" and in old english was used to refer to a special day of religious observance. So why are we trying to stop people from labeling Christmas as a "holy day"?

3. Christmas is not Jesus' birthday: Was Jesus even born in December? The short answer is that we don't know for certain. Some scholars say it was closer to March. It's hard to calculate exactly because the culture Jesus was born into used a different calendar system than we do. But the point is that we can be almost certain December 25 is not the actual birthday of Jesus. It's just when we have chosen to celebrate it.

4. Rude behavior doesn't represent Jesus well: I won't expound on this again. Check out my previous post to see my feelings on this one.

5. Many Christians are just as materialistic as the world during this time of year: We love to accuse our culture of materialism and greed and excuse ourselves. Yet most people I know, Christians included, celebrate Christmas by buying a bunch of stuff to give to each other. I'm not saying that gift giving is wrong or innapropriate. But we should not condemn the world for practices we engage in ourselves.

6. Jesus told us the world would not acknowledge him: We can get so upset that the world leaves Jesus out of it's practices and celebrations, yet this is exactly what Jesus told us would happen. In John 15:11 Jesus says, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you". Jesus was very transparent about the fact that the world despised Him and what He stood for. Why should it suprise us that our culture doesn't want to acknowledge Him? When we gripe about how Jesus is being left out we are essentially telling the world, "stop fulfilling Jesus words!"

In conclusion, Jesus does not need us to defend him, He can take care of Himself. He is the almighty God of the universe. If He wanted to zap our culture into shape with a bolt of lightning, nothing could stop Him from doing so. But He wants us to live in our culture in such a way as to show His love to others. It is as people see Jesus in us that they will be drawn to Him. He is the one that changes minds and hearts, not us. So let's stop complaining, agruing, and badmouthing our culture. Let's start changing it with the love of Jesus.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to yell and scream at people all day, Hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, if people don't believe like us we'll shove it in their face!" Ah yes, it's that time of year again. You know, that wonderful season when we as a Christian community take another opportunity to be rude to our neighbors and tell them why they are wrong. Isn't that really what the Christmas season is all about? Well, that and overeating of course...

Obviously I'm being a little (okay, maybe more that a little) sarcastic here, but it does dismay me how many who call themselves Christians act during this season. It seems like we have taken the whole "Happy Holidays" thing as and excuse to declare all out war on those around us. It's like we think Jesus needs us to defend Him from Santa Clause, his elves, and anyone who wishes us a good holiday instead of a Merry Christams.

I always dread this time of year working at the grocery store because I inevitably recieve numerous tounge lashings from customers about why I should say Merry Christmas. Many times this takes place before I even utter any holiday greeting. To give an example, the other day I wished someone a good holiday season (I figured thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's qualified as multiple holidays strung together in one season, plus I just get sick of say the same phrases all day and wanted to change it up ) and I recieved a pretty sarcastice, "I will have a good CHRISTMAS SEASON!" in reply.

Come on now. If you want to be a good witness to someone, don't lead with a sarcastic or angry response. That alienates the person you are trying to reach. Not to mention you are judging the other person's heart. This person was assuming that I was deliberately leaving Christ out of my statement, when really I was just trying to break up the monotony of saying the same things over and over. Judgment and anger are not a good place to start when sharing the love of Christ.

Tomorrow I will post part 2 on this issue. I will list a few specific reasons why Jesus does not need us to defend Him. I welcome your thoughts and discussion on this topic.

Tomorrow is the big day! We've been working hard this week to pack all of our earthly posessions and they are now boxed and ready to go! In the morning a crew from church is coming to our apartment to help us transport it all to our new home. It will be so nice to be settled in and not have the need to go back and forth between two living spaces. A big thank you in advance to those who will be helping!

In the process of packing we have also been doing some downsizing. It's amazing the stuff you can aquire in a relatively short period of time! We've been using what I call the three year rule while rifling through old posessions. It's simple and goes like this: If I haven't used it or worn it in the last three years, I don't need it! Operating under this rule we have been able to rid ourselves of several items that were taking up precious space and collecting dust.

Why do we need two toasters? We don't, so one has been given away. Three printers? Same deal. That sweater that grammy gave me three christmases ago which still has the sales tag on it? Can you say Goodwill? It's been quite freeing to get rid of some of this excess baggage that has been weighing us down and clogging up our space for the last few years. Now that we have extra space to grow into, our goal is to not fill it with uneccesary junk!

Some of the items we have thrown away or donated were not broken. They weren't even actively affecting our lives, and least not in any discernable way. But once we started to clear them away, we realized how much extra space we could have had for much better purposes.The relief I've felt in cleansing our inventory of these non-essential items has sparked a thought for me about other aspects of my life. How much excess baggage have I allowed to take up space in my personal life and distract me from the things that are really important?

Just like posessions we don't need, we all have things in our life that weigh us down. Habits that waste our time and distract us from what life is really about. Many of these things are not inappropirate or bad in themselves, but they are taking up space. If we allow the clutter in life to take over, where will we fit in time for God, family, and valuable relationships?

I once read a book in which the author was lamenting the time he spent listening to music. What could possibly be wrong with that? Music is a great way to relax and a gift from God! Sure, there is some music that can have a negative influence on you, but he wasn't listening to that stuff. So how could this author possibly feel guilty for doing such a harmless thing? He went on to explain that it was not the quality of the music he was ashamed of, but the amount of time it represented. He felt that the hours and hours he had spent on this hobby could have been used more wisely. What could he have accomplished with all that time had he chosen to invest it differently?

Is it time for you to clear the clutter? Has your life become filled with habits and behaviors that are just taking up space? I know I need to stand back from time to time and re-evaluate my priorities. I want to make sure I leave room in my life for the things that matter. I don't want to simply take up space.

We have a lot going on these days. In addition to being in the final stages of closing on our first home, we are also preparing to welcome our first child into our family! I have also chosen this year to finish up my Bachelor's degree studies and I am continuing to be busy serving our wonderful church family. I am so thankful for all the opportunities I get to teach, preach, and build into lives. Charlene continues to teach and is also very involved in church life. I am so blessed to have such a godly wife who has a burden for others.

In talking about all that's going on in our lives recently, my wife and I were reminded of just how blessed we are. God's timing has been so evident to us in everything that is going on. He has also surrounded us with so many precious friends and family who support and encourage us. We are so thankful for all the blessings he has shown to us, and we truly feel rich with all He has given.

That being said, I want to be careful that I don't start to measure God's goodness by the physical blessings He bestows. Too often I am tempted to give God glory only when he gives me things I like. While I am so incredibly humbled and thankful for everything that I have mentioned above, God would still be just as wonderful and graceous had he not chosen to entrust me with any of it. He has already shown me so much mercy and provision that no matter what happens in the future, I never have any right to doubt Him. He has a spotless track record in my life of guiding me, providing for me, and loving me. Even if the only thing He ever did for me was send Jesus to die in my place, that would have been more than sufficent to prove His goodness. As Paul says in 2 Corinithians 9:15 - "Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!"

Once again, I am in no way taking for granted all the amazing things God has been doing in my life. I am so thankful and awe struck with what He has been doing for and through me. But I want to challenge myself and you to celebrate how good God is, regardless of the physical blessings he does or does not give. He has already proven Himself to us so many times. Let's praise Him and love Him for who He is, not just what He does!

Here is a link to an old song I listened to recently which sparked these thoughts in my mind:

http://youtu.be/w0pPKKOM3gA

Jesus Christ is probably the most famous name in History. It's also the most controversial. It has the power to elicit great emotion and debate. If you want to be labled as close minded and intolerant, claim that Jesus Christ is the only way to God and truth. If you want to collect wildly different veiwpoints and really tick people off, take a survey on the street asking, "Who is Jesus Christ?" What other name has the power to cause such reactions?

The name of Jesus is also the only proper name that has been adopted as a universal curse word. Watch almost any movie these days and one of the characters is bound to say "Jesus Christ!" as part of an emotional exclamation. Have you ever wondered why this is true? All over the world people who are not Christians use the central figure of Christianity as part of their everyday language! It's like there is a subconsious recognition in the minds of people that this is a name you use when you need some extra umph or power in what you are saying. I've never seen this happen with any other "deity" or prophet of another religion. When was the last time you heard someone take the name of Buddah in vain?

I believe the power inherent in the name of Jesus is a great indication that He is who He said He was. There is simply no other name that can cause so many reactions and emotions just by being spoken. There have been countless religious zealots and leaders throughout the centuries. Many of them have spawned their own religions and are well remembered by their followers. But none of them have the same power to confront and polorize people like Jesus.

The thing about Jesus is that He demands an all or nothing response. You can't have Jesus plus (fill in the blank). You also can't say that Jesus is simply one possible road to truth in the midst of endless options. Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the Life." You can either agree or disagree with Him on that, but you can't put Him on a Smorgasbord with every other religion and belief system. When you hear the name of Jesus, you have to make a decision. As one of my favorite bands puts it, "Jesus is the only name that makes you flinch".