Glitter, Glitz, & Gifts
Posted: December 9th, 2009, 3:08 am
HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #134b, Re-Written 09DEC09
Glitter, Glitz, & Gifts
by rev. dave c
Ah, the Holidays! Bright lights of all sizes, shapes and colors. Brilliant displays with seasonal themes in red, green, gold and white. Santa Claus, reindeer, Christmas trees, stockings, wrapping paper, greeting cards, decorations, decorations, and more decorations. CD’s, MP3’s, DVD’s, and BVD’s. Shelf after shelf of last minute gifts for Dad, and Mom, and Aunt Bertha. Everywhere we travel, the soundtrack of our lives is underscored by Christmas carols, contemporary music, and commercials that jingle with sleigh bells and registers. And the food! Oh, my! I love it all. Turkey, ham, and three pound summer sausages stacked in wooden crates. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, and holiday breads. Wreath shaped cookies with sprinkles. Pecan and pumpkin pies. Cakes full of fruits and nuts. And chocolate Everythings! (I love chocolate Everythings.) Everywhere are the aromas of exotic spices, pine oil, scented candles and musky body spray. What a time of year this is!
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves (Ge 3:6&7; NIV).
Of course Christmas is full of glitter, glitz, and gifts. Of course the Season is full of pleasurable sights, sounds and smells. Of course we are enticed by the promise of happiness, intimacy, and a greater sense of wisdom in earthly peace and joy. Of course January opens our eyes to find too many of us deep into credit card debt...wracked with stomachs sick from alcohol and too much rich food…hoping that we can patch things up with friends and family who were victims of our stress...facing unwanted pregnancies and unmentionable diseases. What we intend to be a time of fun and celebration can slip so easily into a holiday straight from the pit of Hell.
Listen to the Apostle John’s advice concerning Satanic strategies to bring about the fall of you and me. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world (1John 2:15&16, NIV). The cravings of sinful man includes all of our appetites as they range from food and drink, to sexual urges, and to all manner of addictions. The lust of his eyes refers to all five of our senses and their insatiable drive for more and greater experiences [The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing (Ec 1:8; NIV)]. The boasting of what he has and does is the spiritual pride of life and can be summed up by our society’s ultimate advertising gambit: “What To Get The Man [or Woman...or Child...or Chihuahua] Who Has Everything….” Does any of this look and sound familiar?
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Lu 2:8-14; NIV).
In spite of what you might think, I really enjoy the Christmas Holidays. And this is the only time this year (unless God indicates otherwise) that I’ll dig into this aspect of the habits and customs of the Season. Friends, my only point here is that the next few weeks are full of temptations designed to take our eyes off of “The Reason For The Season.” Our Adversary and his world system has worked for 2,000 years to distract our minds and hearts from the fact that the Almighty Creator, Sustainer, Lord, Judge, King, and Savior of the Universe came to earth as a little bitty baby—that He grew into the only perfect man to ever walk this Earth—that He died on the Cross as the innocent sacrifice for your sins and mine—that He rose glorified after three days in the tomb—and that He now sits at the right hand of the Father until such time as He will return to claim His Bride, the Church. I pray that Our Father will give us His strength, His wisdom, and His Word, so that we might share with our family, friends, and neighbors the gift that He gave to all of humanity...the gift of the promise, the hope, the life abundant and eternal...the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Read with me the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy (and to us): Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory (1Ti 3:14-16; NIV). Amen. By the way, “Merry CHRISTmas.”
Glitter, Glitz, & Gifts
by rev. dave c
Ah, the Holidays! Bright lights of all sizes, shapes and colors. Brilliant displays with seasonal themes in red, green, gold and white. Santa Claus, reindeer, Christmas trees, stockings, wrapping paper, greeting cards, decorations, decorations, and more decorations. CD’s, MP3’s, DVD’s, and BVD’s. Shelf after shelf of last minute gifts for Dad, and Mom, and Aunt Bertha. Everywhere we travel, the soundtrack of our lives is underscored by Christmas carols, contemporary music, and commercials that jingle with sleigh bells and registers. And the food! Oh, my! I love it all. Turkey, ham, and three pound summer sausages stacked in wooden crates. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, and holiday breads. Wreath shaped cookies with sprinkles. Pecan and pumpkin pies. Cakes full of fruits and nuts. And chocolate Everythings! (I love chocolate Everythings.) Everywhere are the aromas of exotic spices, pine oil, scented candles and musky body spray. What a time of year this is!
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves (Ge 3:6&7; NIV).
Of course Christmas is full of glitter, glitz, and gifts. Of course the Season is full of pleasurable sights, sounds and smells. Of course we are enticed by the promise of happiness, intimacy, and a greater sense of wisdom in earthly peace and joy. Of course January opens our eyes to find too many of us deep into credit card debt...wracked with stomachs sick from alcohol and too much rich food…hoping that we can patch things up with friends and family who were victims of our stress...facing unwanted pregnancies and unmentionable diseases. What we intend to be a time of fun and celebration can slip so easily into a holiday straight from the pit of Hell.
Listen to the Apostle John’s advice concerning Satanic strategies to bring about the fall of you and me. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world (1John 2:15&16, NIV). The cravings of sinful man includes all of our appetites as they range from food and drink, to sexual urges, and to all manner of addictions. The lust of his eyes refers to all five of our senses and their insatiable drive for more and greater experiences [The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing (Ec 1:8; NIV)]. The boasting of what he has and does is the spiritual pride of life and can be summed up by our society’s ultimate advertising gambit: “What To Get The Man [or Woman...or Child...or Chihuahua] Who Has Everything….” Does any of this look and sound familiar?
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests" (Lu 2:8-14; NIV).
In spite of what you might think, I really enjoy the Christmas Holidays. And this is the only time this year (unless God indicates otherwise) that I’ll dig into this aspect of the habits and customs of the Season. Friends, my only point here is that the next few weeks are full of temptations designed to take our eyes off of “The Reason For The Season.” Our Adversary and his world system has worked for 2,000 years to distract our minds and hearts from the fact that the Almighty Creator, Sustainer, Lord, Judge, King, and Savior of the Universe came to earth as a little bitty baby—that He grew into the only perfect man to ever walk this Earth—that He died on the Cross as the innocent sacrifice for your sins and mine—that He rose glorified after three days in the tomb—and that He now sits at the right hand of the Father until such time as He will return to claim His Bride, the Church. I pray that Our Father will give us His strength, His wisdom, and His Word, so that we might share with our family, friends, and neighbors the gift that He gave to all of humanity...the gift of the promise, the hope, the life abundant and eternal...the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Read with me the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy (and to us): Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory (1Ti 3:14-16; NIV). Amen. By the way, “Merry CHRISTmas.”