What to do with Christmas....?

I have heard all the reasons why Christians should or should not in some way celebrate Christmas. To me, however, most of it boils down to propaganda based in fear. Yes, I know where Christmas started, and I understand all about those symbols associated with Christmas that have nothing to do with Christ and Christianity. Whatever you believe or don't about the matter, you cannot deny that taking time out to pause in wonder at the events that took place some two thousand years ago.

God stepped down from His heavenly throne and entered the world as a baby destined to usher in restitution and salvation for all of mankind.

Even saying it becomes amazing.

Either way, if you celebrate Christmas or not, Jesus' birth was just as important as his death and resurrection in God's plan of salvation. And I find that nothing short of miraculous and glorious.

What Does Jesus Look Like?

I have a sinking suspicion that if Jesus were to walk through a busy airport terminal and sit down next to one of us, that we would not recognize him. We are too busy and distracted by life to pay attention to what is going on around us, much less what the person beside us looks like. Asking us to pray five minutes a day is just like asking a person to give up their life... We don't even like to spare five minutes for our own families, why should we bother spending it with Jesus?

Its sad that you can find a Jesus statue or picture of Jesus in every shade of humanity, but no one really seems to know who he is, or what his purpose in dying on the cross was... Instead of preaching and teaching Christ our churches have become fashion central, and user friendly. No one wants to talk about things that just might offend anyone else. Sinners and saints alike are seen as safe as long as they just attend one service every once in a while...

There will come a day, however, when Jesus will separate those who know him from those who do not know him. So many of us who think we are in the "IN" crowd of Christianity will have a rude awakening when he tells us that what we thought was true all our lives is not... That he doesn't know who we are...

So, what do we do about it?

Lets start with that five minutes. Yeah, you could probably use that time checking your e-mail, but it may be better for your spiritual health to take time out and discover who Jesus really is. Prayer is great, but don't just stop at prayer... There is a whole book written about Jesus and the church that calls themselves by his name. Five minutes doesn't look all that bad when we think about the future and our eternity... After all, there are only two choices... Eternity with Jesus, or eternity without Jesus...