Christmas Spirit

As I am reading the Red Stocking with my family each night to help us get in the Christmas spirit I am reminded over and over again about the true meaning of Christmas.  I am also reminded about how far away from the reason for the season we have all become.  Living in a country now where Christmas is celebrated but not like in the States I kind of miss the commercialism everywhere.  However, if you ask a Malagasy person (church attendee) about Christmas they will say that “they are celebrating the birth of Christ”.  When I begin to think about the perspective of the Malagasy versus us U.S. citizens I realize that maybe we have missed the meaning of Christmas.  Somehow we have made it all about us, the size of the tree, the decorations, the lights, the buying of presents, the giving of presents, nativities, the church programs, the school programs, parades, family time, even having to attend church on Christmas morning (ouch), etc…. Now all of these things are good and I enjoy them all but I must ask myself if I am doing these things for my own pleasure and entertainment or for the true meaning of Christmas.  As I watch the families here and especially our day guard I am learning much about how to be content in all circumstances.  Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-12 “I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot.  In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need”. (HCSB).  Thus, my guard and many others are teaching me this verse through their daily living.  To help give you some idea, our day guard now makes 150,000 Ariary a month.  I know that the number is big but that is only $75 per month for 11-12 hour days six days a week.  (No we are not running a sweat shop here.)  The sad part about that is that our guard is making more working for us than he could as a mechanic in a shop or working in the factories here.  Needless to say the income in Madagascar is far less than in the States.  However, the happiness and joy he and his family have continues to baffle me.  The people here know the true meaning of only receiving a single gift for Christmas and that is the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Though they might not have the Theological knowledge we have and though they have missed the point on so many things one thing is for sure.  The people here know the true meaning of Christmas.  I know I am not alone in saying this but I truly believe that if we as believers in Christ Jesus would live Christ everyday instead of during Easter and Christmas we would not have to worry one bit about putting Christ back in Christmas.  The truth is that Christ has not left Christmas we have left Christ out of our daily lives.  We have forgotten what it means to put on the full Armor of God daily, to take up our cross daily, to pray without ceasing, to honor God first and foremost before we honor ourselves.  So my point is very clear this Christmas season and that is maybe we should stop focusing on all the distractions that come January through November minus Easter season and begin focusing and the gift that is eternal and grows sweeter each day.  What is that you might ask?  An authentic love relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin in a Stable, lived a sinless and perfect life, tempted in every way yet without sin, was crucified on a cross that He did not deserve, was buried, and rose again on the third day.  He did all of this so that you and I could have a relationship with God.  So I implore you all to live out Christ daily and tell others about Him and then see if next Christmas we have to have another fight about the true Christmas Spirit.  Live out Christ today and each day that He blesses you with.  The Christmas Spirit should not be bottled for a season but should be shared throughout the life of the believer in Christ.  So I close with a line from one of my favorite Christmas songs and that is “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere, go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.” (Adam)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's Time to Come Home

Image
The Lord has prepared us and led us to make a significant change.  We're coming back to the USA!  Many things have helped us make this decision, but ultimately, the Lord is leading us, and we are just continuing to be faithful to Him. We haven't changed.  Our hearts remain steadfast.  The passion and desire for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done continue to grow within us.  However, we will now live this out on the front lines of the USA in Texas. We are excited to announce Adam will be the senior Pastor at First Baptist Church Valley Mills, Texas.  He will be officially starting at the end of June.  Suzie should be teaching at the elementary school in Valley Mills.  Baylee and River will finish the school year in Nairobi as we pack up the house and say our goodbyes well.  Baylee graduates high school on May 25th.  We will return to the USA in the first part of June to take a little time to decompress before beginning ministry i...
Read more

Short but Packed

Image
February is a short month but we packed it full! (No surprise!!) Baylee kicked off the month in Olepolos, a village south of Nairobi, where she served a church and its community alongside some classmates. She was able to share the gospel, serve in the church, work on the church and love on the children and students in the village. Adam & Suzie got to tour Istanbul on a long layover headed to Athens where they spent time with others leading the strategy for their cities in other parts of the world. It was incredible to visit places with such rich histories and ancient landmarks, both in Istanbul and Athens. God is on the move around the world. He's the same yesterday, today and forever, which is mind-blowing, especially when your standing in front of an olympic stadium that was built in 330BC, and that's still not as old as creation. Friends from Madagascar had a long layover and we were able to reconnect for a short visit.  It had been years since we'd seen each other a...
Read more

Broken...But God...

Image
The world is broken. This can cause our hearts to become downcast. There are so many issues, moral, political and natural, that cause pain and suffering. But God... On the 29th of January, we visited the site of my Triathlon accident. It was the one year anniversary. I wore my "But God..." t-shirt to express his goodness even in times of hardship. It's good for us to look back and remember God's goodness. We know the victory is won. Jesus is on the throne. We're in the end times. May we live with urgency that all would have the opportunity to hear and respond. We've had the opportunity to go out evangelizing in the town of Juja a number of times over the past year. Last week we were there again. As we began walking the streets and stopping to share with those in the community, we came across a group of young ladies. They had exposure to the gospel and confessed they were seeking to good even in the midst of temptation but they had not yet believed and confesse...
Read more