MONDAY MORNING MEDITATION: Finding a Reason for the Season So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) ¶ I know you have waited all year for December 25. So, I dont mean to rain on your parade (as the cliché goes) but as we would say in Nigerian Pidgin, Jesus no send you go de party. Just so we make that clear from the beginning, Jesus never declared it, and the early apostles never celebrated it. Ouch! In fact, THE ONLY THING Jesus asked us to do in His remembrance was not His birthday but the new testament passover. The bread is for His body and the wine His blood shed for us. And He did not say, Do this on December 25. He said, As often. From my childhood, I have heard such things as the spirit of Christmas. Would we promoted the Spirit of Jesus! √ Quite interestingly, the only Christmas party, if any, recognized in heaven is the one that happens when a sinner turns to Christ in repentance. Jesus revealed in Luke 15:10. I dont want to go into the complicated origins of the Christmas tradition and the curious insertions of Santa, reindeers, Christmas trees and all. What I am worried about is that the only command that Jesus gave before His ascension: Go and make disciples of all nations goes unheeded. If Jesus physically stepped into your bedroom this morning, what is He likely to talk to you about? Would He say, Hey David, how are you preparing for My birthday? How are the deco going? Last year you killed only two chicken. I hope youll add five more this time. Not the Jesus I know. ¶ You will never see the Great Commission decorations anywhere on the beautiful streets of VI, Lagos. But youll see expensive Christmas decorations. In many homes, Christmas decoration is a major annual budget. You wont believe it but if you sent that money to the starving internally displaced persons in North East Nigeria, you would have made more sense to God than your imported reindeers and trees. ••• Does that mean that Christmas is bad? No. We are creatures of traditions - good and bad. But I like questioning whatever I do - like the Berea Christians in Acts 17. I hate to follow blindly. Life is so short there is hardly time for fads. On my wedding day, I didnt want to wear a special suit and I didnt understand why she must wear a strange expensive white costume before we could get married. ¶ I didnt want to be chauffeured in a car with About to Wed and Just Wedded number plates. I didnt understand what all those things meant and who started them. I didnt own a car back then and insisted on taking a taxi home with my new bride after the wedding. What saved the occasion was when my wise friend and best man, Msuega, counseled, Ogbo, let things be. Its not your day. Its hers! √ When Paul preached, the Berea Jews received it with enthusiasm but they crosschecked with Scripture. They said to Paul, We know you are a great Apostle used greatly by Christ. We love your sermon but we dont want to take anything for granted. We must first make sure what you say tallies with the Scripture. Referring to that incident, the author of Acts of the Apostles said that they were nobler than those in Thessalonica who simply swallowed everything Paul said without questioning. ••• Yet, today, millions of believers would NEVER so much as look their father in the Lord in the face and say, Papa, what you said is not in the Bible. Today, a church woman would immediately leave her husband if the man of God says so! If the Apostle Paul could be scrutinized for pulpit error, just who is that man of God? The only way you or I can become a person of power is to build personal conviction in whatever we do. I do not condemn those who rave about Christmas but I think it is a perniciously hijacked tradition. Hijacked by Santa. Hijacked by the business world - a time for their biggest sales, cunning bonuses and more profit. ¶ If you doubt me, walk into any bank or shopping mall and marvel at the beautiful decorations and amazing Christmas season creativities. Look around you for the Christmas tree. Who is standing by, dressed in red and white, singing and greeting customers and shaking their hands? John the Baptist? Angel Gabriel? Nah! ••• If you still doubt me, walk into that banking hall with a Bible in one hand and megaphone in the other: Hello everyone! Im here to tell you about Jesus the Son of God … the Risen Savior of the world, whose birthday decorations fill this place. I want to talk about your sins and how you can repent and be saved. By the time the management of the bank and the police have finished with you for disrupting our business, you would need no convincing that your megaphone Jesus has no connection with the decorations in the banking hall. So, during this Christmas, while you travel, feast, party and make merry, make sure that you bring Him the gift He wants the most - a lost soul. √ Three things you and I can do during this Christmas: help seeking souls find their way back to their loving Savior; remember the poor, needy, helpless and displaced persons; spend time listening to God. √ Be healthy, wealthy and wise! Dont spend your money foolishly. Theres house rent and school fees in January!
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 07:48:20 +0000
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