Every year at this time, we tell each other that Christmas is a time for giving. That it is a time for giving gifts, for giving to others, for being generous and caring to the less fortunate. And that is all well and good. It is a good idea. But let’s be clear that that is more Charles Dickens than Jesus Christ. That is more the message of remorseful Scrooge than the renewing Spirit.
Yes, we should be as generous as we can to those in need, to those whom we love, to support the causes and communities that make a difference in the name of the Christ child.
But let’s be clear here. What the shepherds teach us when we see them gathered around the manger is that the real “meaning of Christmas” is not about giving, but RECEIVING.
The real meaning of Christmas is about truly receiving the grace and mercy of God, of recognizing that no matter what we have or what we have accomplished, or no matter how secure we are, or how respected in our world, we are no more deserving of God’s gracious presence, God’s great love, God’s invitation to come to the manger and follow the Jesus the King that a lowly shepherd.
I know that for some of you, this is a stretch. Some of you are hoping that your children don’t read this. You want them to know that there is more to Christmas than the stuff they receive. You want them to think that Christmas is about giving. You are afraid that if they hear this message they’ll stop believing that they need to work hard to get ahead in life. You are afraid of them becoming either greedy or lazy. You are afraid to believe this “good news” for yourself. Because in your heart you think that really one gets what they deserve.
So you’ll be generous with a deserving person and you trust that someday God will be generous with deserving you. We may never admit it, but we assume in our hearts that we deserve this life we have for good or ill. We have earned what we have, we have reaped what we have sown.
But my friends, the real problem with Christmas is not giving or receiving but in thinking we are deserving.
That is the problem with so many people in our world and the problem with so many thoughts that roll around in our heads. We think we deserve love and security, we think we deserve Ipods and cell phones and x boxes and playstations. We think we deserve God to simply appear to us and say that everything is okay.
Or we think that we the only way we can get all things that we want in this world is by doing something or accomplishing something that will make us worthy of deserving life as God intended it.
“Deserving” is the problem. Entitlement is the problem. Earning is the problem. Assuming that we deserve what we have, or assuming that we have to deserve what ever we will get.
Somehow you think that the shepherds deserved their special show and you will get what you deserve. But that is not the meaning of Christmas. It is not deserving. It is neither entitlement or earning.
Christmas is not about getting what you deserve, but being offered everything you really need.
That’s why I like God more than Santa Claus. God doesn’t “make a list and check it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.” God offers us the gift of Jesus because we are naughty, and not nice.
And that is really what we need.
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