Merry CHRISTmas - Part II

As promised, I am back to add some more of my Christmas reflections. But before I do, let me assure you that my thoughts about how the world handles Christmas has in no way taken away my Christmas JOY! I guess because I am truly grateful for God's gift and no matter how much the world tries to distort, destroy, or demean the Christmas celebration, the significance is still there. But while I am very merry, I do find some things quite interesting and thought provoking. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's pick up where I left off.

5 - Cancelling Church on Christmas day - In case yall didn't know, Dec. 25 falls on a Sunday. Yep and there are churches all over who are cancelling service or having service on Christmas Eve. Now I am proud to say that my church will not be cancelling service. In fact, it doesn't matter what day Christmas falls on, we have a Christmas Day service in honor of Jesus. He is the reason, right? If this is correct, then what better way to celebrate than with a Sunday service. Kinda of like Easter in the Winter! But perhaps, the pastors of these churches, don't think folks will show up. Figure they will be home letting the kids open gifts brought by "Santa Claus". Nothing wrong with letting the kids open the gifts. But if Jesus is the reason, then perhaps the gifts can wait. Oh I hear ya...these kids don't want to wait until after church. They must open their presents right away. Well, if these kids are like me as a child, I was up at about 4:30 am or 5:00 am on Christmas day. I think there is plenty of time to open gifts and get ready for church.
But if attendance is the issue, then perhaps they should check out Matthew 18:19 -20. Jesus said:
19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

So if only the pastor and the first lady show up, then they can have church and celebrate Jesus' birth. Collection might be a little low but hey you can get'em on next Sunday!

6 - Mourning the Living! - Now this particular reflection has nothing to do with Christmas but more to do with our soldiers in Iraq or other war zones. This has been something I have wanted to write about but didn't have time. But since I have you attention, I figure now is as good as any time to share. What do I mean by mourning the living...let me 'splain. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with a young man about 23 who has just gotten home from Iraq. Pretty sharp kid and eventually I got around to asking him if he went to church. His answer was no, because he was an agnostic (believes there might be a higher power) borderline atheist (believes there is no God). Nope, I was not shocked or appalled and I didn't run and hide. What I did do was continue the conversation just to get a better understanding of where he was coming from.

What I learned from this young man, who told me prayer doesn't work, was that he felt life is what is and then you die. No point in hoping or praying about stuff. Imagine listening to a 23 year old talk like that. No hope, no light at the end of the tunnel. It was very sad. He equated fighting the war in Iraq and killing people to playing a video game. At least he said that is how he looked at it which makes it easier to kill without becoming emotionally involved. And then he added that they weren't really sure why they were there (contrary to what the Powers that be would have us to believe). These men and women are over there losing their souls because of duty not because they believe in the cause. And I pause to shake my head...

Yes, it is tragic that men and women are dying. But no amount of protests can bring them back. My concern is for those who survived like the young man I described who come back to the US with such a dismal outlook on life. And I am sure he is not the only one. These are young people (cause they don't want the old ones, Thank God!) over there and coming back changed forever. I am sure they see their friends and collegues dying, some of which probably prayed daily. Maybe that is why the young man doesn't think prayer works. As a frequent prayer and miracle recipient, I can assure you prayer does work...

The churches today are full of sermons about about being prosperous, living a good life, overcoming, etc...Oh no doubt we need this kind of talk in order to make it from day to day but I am not sure this is the kind of sermon that will help someone like the soldier I described. Who's going to be there for these soldiers when they come home hopeless and empty? It is just my personal opinion that we should be alittle less self-centered in our worship and more people-centered. God loves everyone not just those sitting in the pews on Sunday. And He charged us to be his foot soldiers here on earth to spread the good news.

I am not sure why the following scripture, in particular verse 22, came to mind as I typed this and I am not sure how it applies directly but perhaps if I think about what Jesus is saying, it will be more clear. Again I go to Matthew 8:18 - 22 (Matthew seems to be working for me lately...)


18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
20Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
21Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
22But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Well I want to take the opportunity to say Merry Christmas! to all the troops in Iraq. They probably won't see this blog but I am putting it out there anyway. And as you, dear reader, celebrate with your family do not take that time for granted. If you are truly celebrating Christmas, say a little prayer for those who survive this war. Pray for their physical, emotional, and definitely spiritual health.

Merry CHRISTmas - Part I

Well, it's Christmas time and (oh yeah I did say CHRISTMAS) and everyone is getting all jolly and decking the halls. Of course for me, this time of year is a time for reflection and as I reflect, I figure I may as well share my reflections with you all. And of course, my reflections are usually atypical but I suspect that you all know that by now.

So what's on the Easterbaby's mind during Christmas. Well several things so you may want to schedule a break. Just kidding! (or not)...

1 - Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas - Not sure how you feel about this but I choose to stick with Merry Christmas because as a Christian, it is the holiday I choose to celebrate. I am all for political correctness in certain situations but as an UNAPOLOGETIC Christian, I disregard all that political correctness stuff. Why? Am I rude? Nope. Now if I was strapping on bombs and blowing up people for my beliefs, then you might say I was rude. Am I going to get bent out of shape because people say Happy Holidays to me? Naw, my feeling is, that the whole controversy is another trick of the enemy to distract us from the real celebration. So I say Celebrate Christmas and be merry and don't worry about how the world sees you. Jesus says:

Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

So as long as you profess being a Christian, you will be hated and misunderstood anyway...Get used to it.

2 - The Nativity Scene - Yeah I had one and I put it up every Christmas. I had the African American version and at the time I got mine, these were rare so I thought I was really doing something when I bought it. Where is it now? I am not sure but I don't display it anymore. Don't get concerned...I still love Christmas and I still love black people but as I grow in my Christian walk, I have learned how misleading this little scene is. And as I often hear from one of my schoolmates and loyal blog reader, "if you are gonna do it, do it right".

First off - A few years ago, I learned after over 20+ years the wise men were not at the birth of Christ. Yeah I bet you are just as shocked as I was to realize this. I mean how many countless Christmas pageants had I been in and there they were with the gold, frankincense and myrrh. Well, I certainly would not lay something so heavy on you without the facts to back it up. So let's go to the book of Matthew (emphasis mine).

Matthew 2
The Visit of the Magi
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel."
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
16When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

So the Magi found the Christ child, noticed the bible says Child and not baby, in a house with just his mother. There is no mention of Joseph. Which means they didn't find him in a manger where both Joseph and Mary were. Also, according to the time the Magi told Herod, Jesus was at least a toddler why else would order the killing of boys 2 years and under. But the wise men aren't the only problem...

This past weekend, my aunt, Rev. Bell made some pretty profound statements about the birth of Jesus and I must say after listening to her and thinking about this navtivity scene...Hmmmmmm, I have a few more observations. For instance, I have never had a baby but I imagine that Mary wouldn't be looking so fresh as she does in these scenes. I mean, she just had a baby without pain killers on the floor of a stable. And as my aunt, Rev. Bell pointed out...the manger (which is a feeding trough) was probably not as clean as we like to think or show with the bright golden hay.

Another thing is, these scenes always show a little baby that looks about 3 or 4 months old with his eyes wide open and hands outstretched. Now I have seen many newborns and none of them look like the baby Jesus in the manger scenes.

So I guess you are wondering why I make a point to bring this all up. #1 - Contrary to what the world believes, being a Christian is not for the weak. Look at Mary and Joseph. She was unwed and pregnant with an unbelievable story as to how she got that way. Then she had to give birth in a stinky, stable. Joseph had to have faith that what Mary told him was true and marry her pregnant and then deliver the baby in the stable. I say, we would be hard pressed to find a man and woman who could handle this type of pressure. #2 - If we misrepresent the nativity without a thought, what else do we do as Christians that misrepresent God. I bet lots of things. Like I mentioned before, if you are gonna do it, do it right.

But don't get me wrong, just because I choose not to display my lovely nativity scene doesn't mean you can't display yours. It is a personal choice for me. And besides, this nativity issue is minor compared to what we have really done to Christmas.

3 - Here comes Santa Claus - Oh yeah I am going there! Now I know what yall are going to say...Sherry you don't have kids so you can't understand why I must let my child believe in Santa Claus. You are right, I don't understand. Sure, I was told there was a Santa Claus and I even got a few pictures with the jolly old dude. But that was my parents choice. When I do have children, there will be Christmas but there will be no Santa Claus. Why? Because if gifts are given, the children will know I bought them. That's right, give credit where credit is due. Also, when kids find out you lied about Santa, will they doubt your word as you try to explain to them about God or Jesus??? Are you following me on this? Now I was a pretty bright kid and I didn't associate finding out Santa wasn't real with there being no God. But the world was a pretty different place. Nowadays, our children need to know who God is more so than who Santa Claus isn't. I know it is cliche but JESUS is the REASON for the SEASON. Once again, you do what you have to do for your house and your children. One favor though, when I have a child, promise not to call child protective services on me okay?

4 - Are the needy only needy during Christmas? - Oh we go all out to prove to ourselves we are kind, caring people during Christmas with our "adopt-a-family" programs and "feed the hungry" campaigns. Who are we kidding? The other 364 days of the year, the needy still need US. I do share some guilt because I don't do all I should BUT I don't do anymore at Christmas than any other time of the year. When and if I am presented with an opportunity to help then I do it and that might be on June 25. What's my point? My point is, sure Christmas is a time for giving because God gave us the best gift. However, if we were really interested in showing God our appreciation, we would make a point to take care of those less fortunate more often than just during Christmas...

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Well, I think I will end here and give you all a break. But I have more to say, as always, so I hope you can join me here real soon for more.

Until then Merry CHRISTmas!