The holidays bring out a lot of things
in a lot of people. For many it's a time of joy and cheer, for others
that cheer has turned sour with hurt and loss. For those that are
alone it can be a time of great pain. For us Christians it is
supposed to be a time for us to reflect on the birth of the one that
died for all of us.
During this time of reflection, it is
easy to get caught up in what Christmas is NOT about. Shopping,
greed, everything but the spirit of Christ. It can also make us loose
sense of purpose and why God left us here and think that this is our
time. No one else that does not worship this time for the same
reasons as us do not deserve it. This is a big reason why there are
not more of us.
This is a time for us to celebrate and
truly get into the spirit of giving, it is not about consumerism and
it is not of elitism. It is a time to be with family and friends, it
is also a time to reach out to those that are hurting because of this
time. Those people need a reason to make this time of year something
worth celebrating. Times are turbulent, as they always are, we do not
need more fighting, war and strife. We do not need any more lessons
in greed, coveting, lust and deceit. What I call for is for each of
you to reflect on one thing. Was Christ inclusive or exclusive?
Jesus was a man that none of us are
capable of being, but we should not stop trying just because it's
hard. It's easy to have friends that are like you, it's hard to spend
time with people that you are not like. Look in the bible and reflect
on the places that Jesus had dinner at more than not. He spent more
time with the lawyers, tax collectors and thieves when he was living
his ministry. He lived by example, he wanted all to walk with him. He
lived and died so we could be with him. So why have we, as
Christians, for so long shunned, killed, hurt and cast aside those
that were not like us?
When I was not a Christian one of my
biggest reasons for not was the crusades. We Christians went into the
middle-east and slaughtered millions because they believed
differently from us, to take the holy lands away from the people that
had lived there for so long. We continued to oppress others that did
not believe like us. The conquistadors, the people that settled right
here in the US, the natives that were here had what we wanted and we
took it from them. This oppression pushed me away from Christ,
especially when I was told that I had no place at church when I
listened to rock music, when I dressed like that, when I was not just
like them.
I am a Christian and I would still
wager that I am quite different than the vast majority of my brothers
and sisters, but that's how I was built. God loves me for who I am,
his brush painted me and that is who I am. I'm still an unfinished
work, just as we all are. Lessons in the bible that really mean a lot
to me are the ones that make you reflect on life and how one should
live as well as the stories about how we are all his people. Jesus
told the disciples to go make disciples of the world.
He also spoke to the world as the
nation of Israel. Now this is an interesting thought, we are all one
people under God. We are all citizens of one global country in God's
eyes. Why can we not live like that? Why is it that we have to
concern ourselves with what country we currently live and how it
compares to others? All of them are broken because they are not all
one. As long as we as a race of people fight God's plan and design we
will never truly know what happiness we could have. We have the
resources globally to take care of all of the people of the world,
but we will not share it. We want to hold it tight and are so worried
about running out.
Where is your faith? Did not your God
take care of you? Did he not see you through the darkness? Did he not
provide for his people in the past? Faith of a mustard seed... Until
we wake up and break down these walls that we call borders and live
as a whole people we will never see his plan. Here is my challenge to
you, if you do not have a friend that is not a Christian, I challenge
you to expand your world. If your faith is strong enough, then this
is not a challenge, stand beside the sinner because we all are. Show
them that Christians are not all judgmental exclusive people. Show
people the Love that God has shown you. Let us begin to break down
these borders and walls around us. We are a global people and our
survival depends on two things, first God letting us stay here and
second our ability to look beyond how we are different and see how we
are alike.
Be more like Jesus, Love people, and
love ALL people no matter what holiday in December they celebrate
today, they could be standing with you at church if you can get past
that. Remember, the healthy are not the ones that need the doctors.
If you only live with the healthy and help those that are healthy,
the sick will continue to die away. Two commandments is what he gave
us, Love God with everything we have and Love each other as we love
ourselves. I don't know about you, but I only pick on myself for so
long before I get tired of it.
I love you all, and may we see a
brighter future through hope. This is a time to celebrate the birth
of Jesus Christ, who would have gave away all those gifts on that
very day if he wasn't in such a weak form. For those that are
hurting, I am sorry for your loss. I cannot bring back your lost
ones, but I can stand with you and be a light in the darkness. I know
that I have a lot of brothers and sisters that can do the same in
this Holiday season let us walk like Christ.
