Mom's Birthday and some observations on the season

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	8.9	13-17	^
Platelets	15	140-375	v
ANC	1390	1800-8300	v

December 18th. One week until Christmas, called the most wonderful time of the year. Today is my mother's birthday. She would be 108, but she passed just before her 99th birthday. Still that was a long run and we were fortunate to have her around for so long. 

Mom was always adamant that she didn't want her birthday and Christmas all rolled into one. And I don't blame her. While celebrating the birth of our Savior is a highlight of each year for much of the world, Mom's birthday was a highlight certainly for her, but also for those who knew and loved this wonderful lady. Her birthday deserved to be recognized, too. Not only was she a loving, caring mom to me and my brother and friend to so many, but she was an image bearer of our Creator, too. I miss you, Mom. 

As I thought about the season during a period of wakefulness last night I was struck once again and saddened that this amazing season of the year, in some ways, misses the point. Yes, it always seems to bring out a jovial spirit in a lot of people who otherwise are so wrapped up in the business of living their lives that they can barely see the joy around them that is there for the taking. The decorations and parties certainly add to the festivities. But there is a curious shift that has occurred over the centuries. 

There are some who complain that Christmas is simply a religious intrusion which co-opted the celebration of the winter solstice that has been part of many cultures. And we probably can't be sure exactly when Jesus was born. And what's up with Christmas trees? They are beautiful and very popular, but I think they are a meld of the solstice celebration of the endurance of "mother earth" and the Light of the world Whose birth we Christians celebrate annually. But so what? To me that simply recognizes our Savior and His creation in the same season. 

At the risk of beating a dead horse, I want to focus on something else. As our culture has become more secular, the focus of Christmas has been carefully shifted from the Savior to another beloved chap who goes by many names: Weihnachtsmann, Sinterklass, Père Nöel, Father Christmas, among many more. We call him Santa Claus or Saint Nick in America. 

These characters may have been inspired by a fourth century Greek bishop, Saint Nicholas of Myra. This much beloved patron saint of many allegedly had a habit of giving secret gifts. I have read they were given mainly to needy children. And that brings me to my main point. The gift giving. 

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we do so because He Himself is the greatest gift the world has ever known. He is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Triune (three in one) God. He is God the Creator, come to visit His creation, namely mankind, desperately in need of salvation from the tyranny of sin, that is, depraved behavior resulting from ignorance of or rejection of God's clearly revealed instructions for leading a blessed, peaceful, fulfilled life here on the beautiful planet He created for us. It's all written down in the Bible. I once was told B.I.B.L.E. is an acronym for "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth" [and proceeding to heaven]. But I digress...just a bit. 

I was talking about gift giving. The model Gift Giver, our Heavenly Father, Who gave us His only Son  so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16) has told us that whoever would be greatest among us, will be a servant to all. Jesus Himself said, "For even the Son of Man [Jesus] came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Later he says, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Clearly this Son of God/Son of Man (for He is both, having been born of a virgin who conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Triune God. (Luke 1:35)) knows how to give magnificent gifts. 

And I believe the most magnificent gift a man can give is his life. I'm not asking you to fall on a grenade or throw yourself under a bus, although some have done so to save others. No, I believe we can give magnificent gifts day by day, when we are there for others. God uses the marriage union of a man and woman repeatedly in Scripture as an analogy for His relationship to mankind. There is no other relationship among human beings that requires such humility and self-sacrifice. And yet if done with a humble heart it can be the most rewarding as well. Wonder of wonders, marriage is also a model for all the other human relationships we engage in. The sons of men came not to be served but to serve others. If we could only remember that when that other driver cuts us off, or the chef at the restaurant doesn't season the entree just as we might have wished. or when our neighbor is in need and turns to us for a blessing.

Christmastime is a time of gift giving, which is a noble thing. Unfortunately, so much of it becomes a burden. We think in terms of finding THINGS to give. We spend so much money. Remember when a book, for example, was a thoughtful gift? If you watch television, you would think that the only acceptable gifts are diamond necklaces and luxury automobiles, when, in fact, time spent over a cup of coffee with a friend whose spirit is down during the holiday season, may be the gift that brings more joy then a new, all electric Mercedes Benz. Sure that kind of gift may cost us precious time, but think of the savings to your bank account! 

When we think of gift giving and receiving (which is too often our primary focus) at Christmastime, may we think like Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve; not to receive but to give. Let us not give to get. Let us not, and I almost hate to say this about the dear, old, grandfatherly gentleman, but let us not put people on the nice list or the naughty list, as Santa allegedly does. Perhaps, the greatest gifts we have to give after giving little bits of our life in the form of that cup of coffee, or that time spent playing with our kids, are those modeled by Jesus: grace and forgiveness. Who knows? Maybe we could help to move a few folks from the Naughty List to the Nice List! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND MAY ALL THE GIFTS YOU GIVE THIS SEASON COME RIGHT 

OUT OF YOUR HEART AND NOT SO MUCH YOUR POCKETBOOK