Christmas

My heart is a little heavy this morning.  I've thought a lot this year about how we as believers celebrate Christmas.  I read an article on CNN today--it was a compilation of people who would categorize themselves as non-believers, describing how they celebrate Christmas.  The quote that really struck me was this one: "We exchange gifts, have elaborate meals, and spend time with our family and friends, many of whom are believers and know we are not. Sharing, giving, and loving are traits of humanity -- not divinity."— David Lilley.  The thing that bothered me was how much alike our celebrations are.  Just two days ago, I spent three days cooking this huge crazy meal for some friends for Christmas, but in the midst of all of that, where was Jesus?  I yelled at my child for crying (because his needs were interrupting what I wanted to be doing).  As parents of young kids, I really want to be teaching them from an early age that Christmas is about Jesus (not about gifts, not about Santa, not about getting stuff, not about decorations, not about consumerism, not about certain kinds of music, not about special food).  But I want that to be what Christmas is about in my own heart first.  After reading this article, I was so humbled and challenged-I have such a long way to go before I feel my celebration of Christmas will really reflect the One whom I claim to love and follow and worship.  I read on a friend's blog not long ago, "I love Jesus, and sometimes I act like it."  I felt like that was a perfect description of me!  Ugh!  I had been feeling kind of happy (proud) that whenever Maya sees a Santa, she shouts out, "Snowman!"  She has no idea who Santa is.  Aren't I spiritual?  Aren't I a good Christian parent?  GROSS!  Jesus birth was humble.  Unassuming.  He announced His arrival to common shepherds--the least of these.  Last night we went for a walk in a big shopping district near our house because I wanted to find a special hairbow to go with Maya's Christmas dress for church on Christmas day (I know, I am completely shallow and ridiculous--once I found the bow I had been dreaming of, Matt said it looked like road kill so that helped snap me back into reality!).  While we were walking along, a little girl came up and asked for money.  She had three little packages of chicklets gum she was selling.  We chatted for a while and I learned she was only nine years old.  No dad.  Sick mom.  She comes every Friday and walks the streets trying to gain some sympathy from shoppers, or people coming to pray at the mosques.  I bet her mom would like her to have a pretty bow too.  Yah, Jesus got some fancy gifts from the wisemen, but his parents couldn't afford to buy the standard sacrifice when they took Him to the temple to be dedicated, so they had to buy the birds instead.  If Jesus had been born in my lifetime, would I recognize him?  Would I be like Anna and Simeon and the shepherds, or would I be too busy hanging out with the Pharisees, proud of how "good" I am and how "good" my kids are?  Oh Jesus, show me how to make Christmas about you in my heart and in my actions.

Burn It Up?

My mom and I have both been experiencing blog block. That's like writers block. Only for bloggers. A family member (Barry, when will we finally get to meet you?) suggested to my mom that she write nonsense sentences over and over and her brain would get so tired of it that it would think of something else to write. He even suggested a sentence that I thought was quite funny, but now I've forgotten it. So then I was thinking about what gets me riled up right now and thought I could write about that. The thing I have been most riled up about recently has been in the news--the scheduled Quran burning at a church in Florida. I don't know the details or the people involved, but what I suspect, that a Quran burning won't bring anybody any closer to Jesus. I fear it will make people who are already blinded by their fear and prejudice feel affirmed in their feelings of hate and anger. And as for those folks who claim Islam as their faith and revere the Quran in much the same way that Christians revere Jesus, this is a devastating act that is so offensive it is hard to even figure out what to compare it to. So basically, when "Christians" do something like this in the name of Christianity or worse yet, in the name of Jesus, the last thing Muslims want to do is know more about Christianity. What is this church thinking? What are they hoping to achieve? Shouldn't Christians be going out of their way and bending over backward to help and serve and love Muslims? Why are Christians more well known for what we are against than what we are for? Does the world have any idea what we are for? This whole situation makes my heart so heavy. I could go on and on, but I'm curious--what do you think? Leave me a comment, I really want to try to understand what the average person thinks about this. . .