As Seen on TV Christmas: Memories
I have missed 
Sunday Service a couple Sundays due to illness. Our pastors have been giving us a glimpse of Christmas as seen on TV and how we can have a better Christmas than what the world often presents. This week Pastor Bart encouraged us to make lasting and great memories of Christmas. But first, the sermon notes.
Your situation doesn’t matter. Regardless of your situation, you can make great Christmas memories. Just look at the Christmas story itself to see this.
We usually have typical traditional pictures of the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus in swaddling clothes surrounded by angels singing, the shepherds worshiping, and wise men giving expensive gifts.
But what is oft overlooked:
- Scandalous Mary pregnant claiming pregnancy is of God, Joseph had to be convinced to marry Mary.
- Nine months pregnant and traveling and to make things worse, Joseph hasn’t made any arrangements for sleeping so they have to give birth in a stable.
- And then, they have to flee to Egypt because Herod wants their heads.
Christmas is what it is because Joseph and Mary accepted God’s “crazy” plans.
When we do the same, we will develop lasting memories.
Mess up your memories by trying to hard to make Christmas perfect. The harder we try, the worse things come out.
But if you make God the most important aspect of Christmas, it will be a perfect memorable time. It doesn’t matter what our situation is. Be positive = believe God, have faith. Follow what God would have us do doing Christmas.
This of course depend on listening to God, to hear what He would have is do during Christmas. I guess I oft forget that this is a basic way of life for followers of Christ. We not only need to ask God what he would have us do for Christmas, we need to ask Him what He would have us do on a daily basis.
But yes, Christmas is a special time. We need to look to God and ask Him if He would have us do anything extra special – something that has to do with the season… I guess. I will take this week and seek out what God might have me do…. Or do I really need to? I am pretty positive that God would have me first and foremost be a good son, a good brother, a good uncle, and a good husband on Christmas. I need to ensure that my attitude and actions reflect that Christmas is all about giving to others, especially how God gave to us. During our family Christmas celebration, it is all about family, not about me and my physical ills.
Family, I know some of you read this. Lets not talk about my gluten intollerance and other ailments. Ok?