Making Himself Nothing . . .

I definitely fall prey to being too familiar with the Christmas story for it to have an impact on me every year. Every year, I have to work to get myself into the proper mindset for worship, and remember the immensity of what actually took place at the Incarnation. This year, I have had some help. I've watched The Nativity Story, the movie about Jesus' birth that came out several years ago. The scene where Mary gives birth to Jesus really struck me. Jesus, the Lord of the universe, was born by the ordinary human way, and that in the poorest possible conditions. God truly became flesh. What amazing humility! If God made Himself nothing for us, how much more should we be humble as we seek to serve Him and those He put in our lives!

 Merry Christmas to you all! Christ is born!

~Mac

On Presents

Why do we give presents to each other on Christmas day?

I am going to try not to turn this into a rant about the commercialization of Christmas. I just want to honestly explore that question.

On our birthdays, people usually give us presents. Why? Usually it's to show us they love us, care about us or appreciate us. So why do we give people presents on someone else's birthday? I can't really find a reason other than to share God's love, but why would we only do that on one day of the year? Why not make the act of sharing God's love through gifts something that we do throughout the year?

If we want to be consistent in our birthday gift giving, we should give Jesus gifts on His birthday. He doesn't need anything we can offer Him, but He asks us to offer Him worship and service. I think we should use this Christmas season to rededicate ourselves to God and to offer worship to Him.

When we have birthdays, the focus is on us. It is a celebration of our life up to this point. When Christmas rolls around, the focus is often on gifts and gift-giving. How many stressed out holiday shoppers are out there, scrambling to buy everything they need to give before the holiday comes? The focus should not be on the gifts; it should be on the ultimate Gift and the Giver.

I am absolutely not judging anyone who gives gifts on Christmas. If you can give and receive gifts without losing focus on the real reason for the season, more power to you! I am also definitely not advocating not celebrating Christmas. I believe that it is a very important and meaningful holiday that deepens our relationship with Christ. I am simply trying to provide some food for thought and hopefully help the body of Christ to become more like Him.

Does anyone have any thoughts on Christmas gift-giving?

~Mac

.: HE IS RISEN! :.

I know this is a little late, but I want to post it anyway:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

55 “O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ESV)

Let us celebrate the risen Savior, not just on Easter, but every day we live our lives! Let us live in the light of His triumph over sin and death!

1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self^a was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has died has been set free^b from sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6:1-13 ESV)

~Mac