The malls are alive with the sound of… cash registers, children laughing (and crying) on Santa’s knee, harried mothers, and just barely audible above the sound of the hubbub, and the trumpet blasts of commercialism, can be heard the joyous sound of Christmas carols playing on the Public Address system.
Sadly it would appear that long ago, our societies replaced the Spirit of Christmas with the Spirit of Shopping and the Magi of Materialism. Christmas can be a very special time of the year, and for Christians, Christmas should have special meaning… regrettably it often does not.
Are there any keys to surviving what should be the greatest "season" of all?
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An attitude of joyful gratitude:
The apostle Paul seemed to have discovered the key. He wrote from prison, "How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again." Philippians 4:10
He goes on to say, in verse 11. "Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am." (Amplified)
For Paul, the key to coping with stressful situations begins with an "attitude of gratitude". He learned that hardship or prison could actually make you grateful for things that may otherwise go unnoticed. In fact, having less tends to make us more grateful! Surveys show that before computers, microwaves, Nintendo and a host of other products, people were considerably more content than they are today.
Who has expressed Christmas gratitude?
Zacharias the aged father to be, and Elisabeth, the barren mother of the yet to be conceived John the Baptist.
"And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years."
Luke 1:7
Zacharias was minding his own business, doing his allotted tasks in the Temple, when God sent the Angel Gabriel to inform him of the first of a series of miracles that were shortly going to take place.
"And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John." Luke 1:11-13
Gabriel then told Zacharias the following wonderful news…
"And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." Luke 1:14-15
The promised birth of the "forerunner" to the Savior, John the Bapist, doubtless filled his parents with immense gratitude. Elisabeth had a very special reason to be grateful, because her dispised satus as a barrenwomen was recinded.
"Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men." Luke 1:25
Six months into Eilsabeth’s pregancy, Gabriel was again sent to earth on another joyous errand: this time to Elisabeth’s cousin, Mary.
"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." Luke 1:26-28
Gabriel went on to say…
"And listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David." Luke 1:31-32
When Mary visited Elisabeth to share her wonderous news, she said…
"And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generationsshall call me blessed. For He That is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name. And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation." Luke 1:46-50
Mary’s gratitude is obivious for all to see.
There were others that expressed their gratitude:
"And in the same country there were shepherds living in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came on them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were grievously afraid. And the angel said to them, do not fear. For behold, I give to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For to you is born today, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this is a sign to you. You will find the babe wrapped, lying in a manger." Luke 2:8-12
The shepherds were as an unlikely group of witnesses to this momentous event, as any that might have been chosen. Shepherds were the lowest of the low, because of their occupation, they were unable to observe the laws of ceremonial purification, they were therefore unclean, and further they were unskilled in the Law, and consequently considered ignorant.
To be given the very great privilege of being told the "good news" of Jesus’ birth first hand, and in such an unprecedented manner must have filled these simple and socially despised men with overwhelming joy and gratitude. The Bible says nothing of the lives of these men form this point on wards… but I am certain they followed the life of the "babe in the manger" with keen interest from that time forward. They were, after all, the very first "evangelists."
"And seeing, they publicly told about the word spoken to them concerning this Child." Luke 2:17
Still others expressed gratitude and joy at the Savior’s birth:
According to the Law of Moses, Mary was ritually unclean until the days of her purification, and Jesus’ circumcision. She was in a place of separation from her family. As required by the Law, she visited the Temple and made the obligatory sacrifice. It was while she was at the temple that yet another was given the opportunity to express joyous gratitude at he birth of the Savior. She sought out Simeon who had been given a unique promise by Holy Spirit.
"And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. And it happened to him, being instructed by the Holy Spirit, he was not to see death before he would see the Christ of the Lord." Luke 2:25-26
Simeon, giving joyous thanks for the birth of the Messiah, then uttered a public prophecy, recorded for eternity in Luke 1:34-35
"And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this One is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against, (yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also), so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
The aged prophetess Anna, who upon being widowed after just seven years of marriage had served the Lord God Almighty in the Temple with prayer and fasting, from the time of her widowhood until this wonderfully significant day, overheard those words.
"And she coming in at that instant gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those in Jerusalem eagerly expecting redemption." Luke 2:38
Anna, who had been waiting for the birth of the Messiah, also broke forth in joyous gratitude at the news of His birth.
The Magi of the East were next to express their gratitude to the "Christ of the Lord"
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who is born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him." Matthew 2:1-2
Sometime after the birth of Jesus, the final in a succession of privileged witnesses to the Savior’s birth arrived. No one knows for certain where these "wise men" came from, there is evidence for at least three very different locations, Persia, Arabia, or Babylon. But they did arrive, revering the Christ-child, and presented Him with gifts that were of great value. Gold, frankincense and myrrh, gifts that spoke of His great mission here on earth. Their joyous gratitude for the greatest gift of all time is expressed in the succinct words of Matthew-
"And seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother. And they fell down and worshiped Him. And opening their treasures, they presented gifts to Him, gold and frankincense and myrrh." Matthew 2:10-11
Conclusion:
We too, are mightily privileged to have been "grafted" into the company of those who worship the baby born two thousand years ago. If the season that marks His birth threatens to overwhelm, and rob the joy of the occasion, then reflect on the joy and gratitude experienced by our ancestors in the faith. That privilege transcends all the commercial "claptrap" that surrounds this season; it gives us reason to truly celebrate the meaning of the season.
