Rev. David Holwick Christmas Eve First Baptist Church Ledgewood, New Jersey December 24, 2015
I. How frantic has this Christmas been for you? A. It is the same around the world. The Australian supermarket chain 'Aldi' put out what has been called the most honest Christmas ad this season. Instead of heartwarming holiday scenes, this commercial depicts the stress of decorating, cooking and shopping that can often creep up on consumers. The commercial begins with a couple checking their calendar and suddenly panicking after they realize that Christmas is right around the corner. In a frantic and cinematic scene, the couple rushes to decorate their house and yard, shop for gifts and cook dinners. Clips of other families from around the world are also included, as everyone rushes to prepare for the upcoming holiday. The Aldi commercial ends in a way most people's Christmas concludes -- sitting at the dining room table with your family enjoying dinner. After all, 'Aldi' is a supermarket chain. Despite the stress and pressure, everyone's holiday always ends up being great. (Or is supposed to.) [1] B. Examples of stress I saw this week. 1) Monday night, Jason Salmon was stuffing 148 Christmas letters with cute photos of Paul, along with long personalized notes, to mail on Tuesday, with the fantasy they would be delivered by Thursday, today. 2) Celeste preparing some Christmas snacks for a party at work, which required her to haul in 10 armfuls of food from the car because she couldn't find me. I was not upset she couldn't find me (my phone was turned off). At any rate, she was up till midnight baking the stuff. C. We don't want our Christmas to miss anything. 1) That is why we put up with all the stress. a) The decorating, food, music, gifts, family events. b) These are what make Christmas so special to most of us. 2) But is there something you are still leaving out? II. Christmas is fun for most people. A. Almost all have fond childhood memories. Howard Jacobson loved Christmas as a child, and still does. A favorite memory was seeing his father dressed up as Santa Claus and getting stuck in the chimney. The reason his father got stuck is that he was carrying a Hanukkah menorah. You see, the Jacobson family was Jewish. Not blended Jewish and Christian, just Jewish. And they loved Christmas. His mom thought "Silent Night" was a beautiful song. They put up Christmas stockings with notes to Father Christmas. They were English so their Santa was based in Iceland. The Jacobsons did draw the line at having a tree - it was too closely related to a cross. (I thought that was interesting, because most Christians do not associate their tree with the crucifixion.) And while they enjoyed Christmas carols, they didn't sing them. But otherwise they got into Christmas like everyone else. #65022 As a matter of fact, most everyone else is just like this family. We all have our beloved traditions, but perhaps not the most important ingredient. B. Christmas has morphed into a "holiday." 1) Even after Hanukkah is over. 2) By making it a holiday you don't offend anybody so I understand why that is the most common greeting. a) But it goes deeper than that. b) A Pew Research survey in 2013 found that 96% of Americans still celebrate Christmas. What may be more surprising is that only about half of all Americans still consider Christmas to be primarily a religious holiday. One out of every three consider it essentially a cultural celebration with no religious meaning. So when you hear about the war on Christmas, that's only half right. The war isn't on Christmas; it's identifying Christmas with Jesus. #65021 3) The word "holiday" is not for generic days - it used to mean a day that is holy. a) It should belong to God as much as to families or little kids. III. The wise men got it right. A. They didn't get gifts for each other, but for Jesus. 1) The little baby was the focus of their long journey. 2) They honored him as the King of a nation. B. When they came to Jesus, they worshipped him. 1) That's an unusual thing to do for a baby. 2) Actually, it is unusual to do it for any human. a) They obviously saw Jesus as a divine child. b) How do you see him? IV. Jesus accepts worship today. A. Each of you is honoring Jesus by attending church tonight. 1) Maybe you just like the music, but I suspect it goes deeper than that. 2) I know that many of you are involved in church throughout the year. 3) Of course, worshipping Jesus is far more than going to a service in a church building. a) True worship has to come from the heart. A heart that acknowledges that it has turned from God. A heart that wants to have peace with God again, and realizes that only Jesus can make that happen. b) How often has your heart focused on Christ this season? B. It is never too late to start. 1) Tomorrow, why not spend some quiet time reading a portion of the Christmas story in the Bible. 2) Reflect on the difference that Jesus makes in your life, both now and for eternity. 3) And then thank him from the bottom of your heart! ========================================================================= SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON: [1] “'Aldi' Supermarkets in Australia Depict a Stressful Christmas Experience,” Christopher Magsambol, November 12, 2015 <http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aldi>. #65021 “Christmas Changes Everything,” Michael Duduit, Baptist Press, December 22, 2015; <http://www.baptistpress.org>. #65022 “Have Yourself A Very Jewish Christmas,” Howard Jacobson, BBC Magazine, December 20, 2015; <link>. These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html ========================================================================= |
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