Hawaii is 18 hours behind Manila so we just wrapped up Christmas. A few thoughts at 4:23AM since I cant get back to sleep. Christmas is this: God loves us so much, He decided to become flesh in the form of a cute baby born in a stinky, simple manger... who will later grow up to suffer in behalf of all of us sinners; atonement so that should we choose to believe in Him (no good works necessary), we can hang out with Him in paradise forever. Yet when people think of Christmas, they often equate it to parties and gift—with a bit of sprinkles of God here and there. As a huge fan of Jesus, the bastardisation of Christmas of course frustrates me. BUT is it really so bad? Isnt it wonderful that because of Jesus, the world now has a good excuse to force families and friends to be reunited at least once a year? That people go out of their way and brave through hideous traffic jams to find that perfect gift for a loved one? I can imagine God feeling furious because this party is His and He paid a huge price for it (damn Id be pissed if this happened to me!) but then rolling his eyes at us and lovingly laughing about how idiotic we can really be, and pumping up the music so everyone can continue enjoying while He slowly makes the rounds to the party-goers, building relationships one person at a time (Jesus doesnt want religion, he wants a relationship with you!). Now am I happy to read about the tragic stories of child labourers in China where all the Christmas decorations are made? Not one bit. But to blame Christmas? Thats crossing the line. Because that is OUR fault, yes you-who-do-not-believe-Christmas-or-Jesus, too and thats a problem throughout the whole year. Yes, we Christians screw things up but thats why we are Christians: we are screwed up individuals in desperate need of help. The church (from the Greek word ekklesia meaning body of believers, which also never meant to have religious connotation) is not a museum of good people but a hospital for the sick and broken (first heard from Jeff Bethke, 2012). Because of its worldwide popularity, Christmas these days can be whatever you make of it. And because it is a man-made holiday, I doubt it if God cares much about it. What He does care is for you to get to know each other through Jesus. Hes knocking at your door, and you dont even have to fix your house or change anything, or let Him in just yet: just open the damn door! You could be happily surprised. :) Hope you all had a very merry Christmas! ♥
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 15:12:17 +0000
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