Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Making Christmas Count

Baxter is hard to please at Christmas. He is very finicky about his toys, losing interest in them quickly. Once I got him a set of reindeer antlers, thinking I would get him into the Christmas spirit by dressing him in the part. He was not amused. Last year, I thought I had found the perfect present for Baxter, a heated bed. He is still looking at it without even considering a nap. With the heat switched on or off, he is not interested. He is content and comfortable with his well worn mattress and blankets. Gifts don’t make Christmas for Baxter. He is satisfied with the familiar pieces that make up his life.

Maybe we have something to learn from this grinchy cat. Christmas is not about what we get to add to our lives, but it is about what we have to give to life. And this is not the things we purchase for presents. Christmas celebrates God’s gift of Himself to us. His Word became flesh in Jesus, and He dwelt among us. He took on our human condition. He ate our food, smelled liked us, spoke in terms we could understand, cried and laughed and worked along-side of us. He didn’t bring anything special apart from His life with us, but in that life He revealed something special in all of us. We are God’s children. We are the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. We are disciples of the Lord.

Christmas happens when we share our common kinship in the Lord, when we recognize in each other a divine spark that can ignite goodness and blessing for others. Christmas lights are not turned on with a switch, but with calling forth from others the positive contributions they can bring to make our world a better place for everyone. The taste of Christmas isn’t found in the sweet treats we relish at this season, but in the hope we bring to season every difficult situation so that it will not overwhelm us. The disciple’s Christmas leads others to Christ by showing them the difference He has made in our lives. If we are generous with these gifts, Christmas will disclose the hidden treasures God has placed in all of us through His Son.

Baxter has it right about Christmas. We don’t need more things to find joy in the season. We need to find more in what we have already been given - more faith, hope and love of God. It is there, purchased by the blood of Christ. We need less stuff and more substance to appreciate it.