That Old Time Christmas Feeling

Isaiah 7: 10-16
Matthew 1: 18-25

I had someone tell me once that the whole Christian story is a myth. That it was all made up from the very beginning to the very end. They cited what they considered to be facts and made a pretty convincing argument. And so I began to question whether it was possible that all that we know, all that we believe about our faith could just be some fantastical myth that brings false hope to billions of people.

I came to several conclusions. I believe in God. I believe in a God that loves us because God had so much love to give that he created the world as a way to express God's love more fully. God doesn't need us to be complete, but we need God to be complete. God created us to give and show love to us. And the more I thought about it, I realized the whole Christian belief system isn't based on "facts" about whether a baby was born in a manger with cows mooing or about a snake in a Garden or if Mary was truly a virgin or any other part of the Bible people like to debate "Did this actually happen?".

Our Christian belief system is built around the idea of a God that loved the world so much that He gave to us the gift that would save us from ourselves: Immanuel which means God with us. Jesus Christ, whatever day he was born, wherever he was born, came to earth to help God understand humanity and to help humanity understand God better. And I believe that to the very depths of my soul. Jesus Christ is the greatest gift we have ever been given.

The other conclusion I came to is it does not matter how historically accurate the bible is or isn't, and let's be clear, the writers of each book were not thinking of writing down history the way we do today. They were telling stories of faith, passed down to them by word of mouth from generation to generation. They wanted the world to know about what had changed their life. Therefore, instead of getting caught up in what is historically accurate and how long the bible says the earth existed and how it began, it is much more important to impart the faith in a God that took darkness and non-existence and created light and life. That's the miracle, people!

It has nothing to do with how many days God took to create the world, but how much love and thought was brought to bear to create a universe that sustains life from the tiniest bug and plant to the largest animals and humans. You want a miracle - look at your own body. The ligaments and nerves and muscles and organs. How each is interconnected and affected by something as simple as two hydrogen compounds and one oxygen compound: water. Our bodies are miracles. The ecosystem is a miracle. Gravity is a miracle because without it, we would drift away from the Sun and life would never have been sustainable.

The things humanity gets caught up in and fight over have nothing to do with the true meaning of Christ and Christmas. Ahaz was told by God that he could ask for any sign from him and he would receive it. God told Ahaz that it was okay to ask for anything, and Ahaz refused. Ahaz understood something that humanity lately seems to have forgotten. In our determination to have and keep what we have; in our inability to see other people's points of view; in our steadfast search to be entertained we have forgotten the deep, true meaning of Christmas and God.

Ahaz tells God, "I will not ask. I will not put the Lord to the test." Faith and belief. Love and hope. Joy and peace. They belonged to Ahaz because he understood that God has given to us the greatest of all gifts. God has given us life and then as if that was not enough, God gave us eternal life.

What do we do with these gifts? How do we show our appreciation? Tell me, what do you do to make sure the world knows what God has done for you? What do you do to make sure everyone receives the same amazing, life-altering gift that you have been given? Do you show your appreciation to God by living a life of faith and belief, like Ahaz, refusing to put God to the test?

We all are searching for meaning of life during this time of year. It's not that we don't want all that faith and hope and love and peace and joy, but for some reason many of us find it elusive. I think we need to examine our lives. What are our priorities? How much time are we giving to God? An hour a week for church is not going to make that Christmas spirit we miss so much come alive. Spending more time with God is what makes us come alive. God is life just as much as God is love and therefore if we want more life and love, then we need to go to the source.

Little prayers. Wake up in the morning and say "Help me through this day, Lord", and at night say, "Thank you for helping me through the day, and help me to be better tomorrow." Those two lines - those are prayers. They are real prayers. God doesn't need fancy words or an itemed agenda. God needs honesty from us. We need to be honest with ourselves and honest with God. Read a scripture a day and try to memorize it if you can. There are apps on phones and computers these days that can send you a scripture every single day to read. Deliberate do something kind for someone every single day. Help a woman with too many packages and a screaming baby by holding the door for her. Compliment every person you see one day by deliberately looking for something worthwhile in them. Start telling your loved ones you love them before getting off the phone.

If we want to be better people then we need to practice being more like Christ. If we want to be more like Christ then we need to be communicating with Him. If we want to know what Jesus would have done in the situation we are in then we need to know Jesus and that means reading the Bible. If we want that old time Christmas feeling then we need to connect to the one that began it all.

Some of you made an excellent start with the Wynwood Angel tree. Not only did so many of you donate gifts to the people, but then some of you went and delivered them in person. It meant the world to those older people. The carols you sang, the gifts you brought and the time you took to make something that could have been impersonal into a special event will stay with them forever. You changed lives with that angel tree this year. I know, because I've received several phone calls telling me so.

This is exactly what we should be doing here. Spreading good cheer and the message of Jesus Christ not only through words, but through actions. It's not enough to say we're Christians because in today's world that doesn't really mean anything anymore. The meaning as well as the feeling of Christmas has been lost. And it's up to us to get it back and to show others what it means to be a Christian.

You have an amazing opportunity in front of you. May you reach out with both hands to grasp this new gift that God has given to each of us here at Trinity. We have the ability to change lives and to make the world a better place through Jesus Christ. That's not something to scoff at!

Amen.