Tis the Season . . . for what?
This time of year seems to magnify our emotions. A lot of lip service is paid to having a holly jolly Christmas, but for many it is a very lonely time. Isolated and without family, it can be a very trying time for some.
I wax and wane with these feelings during Christmas. The seemingly over-exuberance of fun others seem to have makes me feel like I am missing out on something. Like I am not part of the club – whatever “club” that might be. Stores are filled with hustle and bustle. Roads are jammed with busy travelers. But something is missing.
I’ve taken time off from work this week and next and have not yet felt like I can relax. Everything is caught up in the blur of preparations. We have three family Christmases to celebrate, and we’ve also have some work celebrations. These all take time to get ready for and once the event is over, it’s on to the next. Even when nothing is happening, the tape that plays over and over in my head is filled with the unfinished business for the next gathering. But busyness is a poor substitute for meaning.
When I was a kid, Christmas was the most special time of year. It was all about the food, cutting your own tree, beautiful lights, friends, family, baking cookies, and waiting. Why have things changed so much? Well, now we are the ones putting it all together. Being a kid, you just sat back and enjoyed the time. Is it possible to put the genie back in the bottle?
I think that is the challenge and what we all are faced with. Stop the hours of shopping, preparing, cleaning, running, and this and that. This week, I have wanted to go see a movie or two, maybe bowling, playing family games, making lefse, and other family fun. So far, no go . . . Even though I might have cleared the decks, if everyone else hasn’t, then we still have an issue. We ALL need to be on board. It’s a purposeful effort.
It really doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we do it together. So far this season, we have not got into the “family time” groove… yet. We have another week of vacation–and another opportunity. I hope you too can clear the decks, slow down, and add additional mortar to those special relationships in your life.
“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more”. ~Dr. Seuss
Remember whose birth we celebrate this Christmas season. Without Him and what He did for us, we are lost. It is only through Jesus that we are able to freely give that gift of love to others. What we give was first given to us. Happy birthday, Jesus! Don’t forget Him. He is the reason for the season.
Good Friday “Holiday”
What the heck is Good Friday? Oh yeah, another day off from work! How many “Holidays” do we celebrate, without really doing anything to commemorate them or knowing what they are about? What is Good Friday anyway? Well, for Christians, Good Friday commemorates not just a historical event, but the sacrificial death of Christ, which with the resurrection, comprises the heart of the Christian faith. On Good Friday, Jesus was crucified and died and on Easter Sunday, he rose again to everlasting life.
Say what? All of Christian faith is boiled down to what takes place today and on Easter Sunday. Jesus was the only Sacrifice needed to enable 
people to have a proper relationship with God
Now this is the good stuff, the paradox. Just as the result of Adam’s trespass (sin) for all men brought condemnation, so also the result of Christ’s act of righteousness was the justification that brings life for all men. The “one righteous act” offered to all, was Christ’s death on the cross. One brought death; the other brings life. The provision in the one righteous act, therefore, is potential and it comes to the entire human race as the offer and opportunity which are applied only to “those who receive” Jesus as Lord and Savior.
God gave proof of His love by having Christ die in the place of humans “while we were still sinners”. Because of the sinner’s response by faith to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, God has declared him righteous. Since the divine dilemma of justification has been solved on the basis of Jesus’ shed blood, believers will never be condemned to hell nor will they be the objects of God’s coming Tribulation wrath.
So does this sound like mumbo jumbo? Well it isn’t, it is brilliant! No one could ever make a story like this up! If you have never heard the story, or only know it superficiously, take a look at it again with fresh eyes. Marvel at the paradox, the simplicity, the love that was conceived for us. Yes, you and me. May you have a blessed Good Friday and Easter as you reflect on the love that was poured out for you.
Not in my own strength
I have been reminded lately about the blessings in my life that are totally out of my control. Me and my wife were out with some good friends tonight and were talking about our pasts and how we got from there, to here. As I was going over this with them, It put me into remembrance of how it all sounded so made up! It wasn’t, but it sure didn’t sound like it could happen to just an average guy like me. My life is so blessed now. It wasn’t always: my educational background, the mess of my life when I was younger, drinking, drugs, job hopping, divorce, financial mismanagement all pointed me down the road in opposite direction.
So how did I get to this point?