Merry Christmas to ALL!

"And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to ALL people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:9-11 NKJV

You don't have to look very long to see that our country is divided. We are divided in our views of politics, social issues, faith, etc. When there is division you get the subtle idea that you can't please all people...so pick a side. Hopefully you pick the right side, because nobody wants to be on the wrong side. Unfortunately, the spirit of division has crept into the Christmas season. Even some headlines declare there's a "war" on Christmas. Again, the unspoken message is "pick a side".

I am so thankful that 2000 years ago that God didn't choose a side. He could have, but the good news is, He didn't. His first declaration of the birth of  His son was "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to ALL people". Sadly, this message has been lost in our culture and traditions. Even among those who are "pro-Christmas".

The biggest stigma given to Christmas is that it's a "religious" holiday. With that connotation it makes Christmas appear to be an exclusive holiday. This notion could not be further from the truth. Christmas isn't just a day to be celebrated by a particular group, it is an act of God's love towards all people. Love came down from heaven and invaded earth for all to behold!

The original Christmas was not part of God's plan to build a multi-denominational religion or to create a society of law abiding citizens. That first Christmas morning was an expression of a Father's heart. Not just in the birth of His Son, but for us to all become sons and daughters. "Yet to ALL who received Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12 NIV).

This Christmas, no matter which side you find yourself on, I hope that you are able to remove yourself from all the distractions and focus on the Father's amazing love for you. Merry Christmas to ALL!

The Humility of God

"Who is like the Lord our God, Who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth?" Psalm 113:5-6 (NKJV)

Most likely you will never hear a song titled "Our God is a Humble God". I don't know if humble is even a blip on our mental radar when we think of the quality traits of God. It just doesn't quite carry the weight as awesome, powerful, or mighty. Even though these traits are true and worthy of our praise, I wonder if we are overlooking something that could potentially change our hearts forever. When we praise God for His power it reveals His worth to us, but when we see His humility it reveals our worth to Him. 

The true story of Christmas goes beyond the cry "A savior is born!". It's about the humility of God. God chose to come as a child so that men could come to Him. The shepherds came to see Him. The wise men came and worshipped Him. He was approachable at His birth and has been ever since. That's "good tidings of great joy"!

God's humility didn't end at the birth of His Son. Jesus "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant... And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:7-8 NKJV). Why would Jesus come and humble Himself to the point of death? Because we are valuable to Him. The cross reveals our value!

This Christmas when you sing :

O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels:
Chorus:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Remember, He adored us first by humbling Himself and coming to us.  Jesus' invitation to us is "Come to me... for I am humble in heart." (Matt. 11:28-29 NIV) Will you?