Here we are my friends! The tinsel and garland will be soon taken down, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole songs are no more for the season. The anticipation with excitement and joy for Christmas morning has been relinquished. The festive venture of a holiday cheer and great color and splendor along with more cheerful and generous personalities seem to now become more vacant than before. Christmas is over—or is it? For those who know and celebrate Christ can assuredly say Christmas is much more than a holiday. Christmas is the celebration of God becoming a man, the incarnation, Emmanuel (God with us). I hope and pray each of you was able to tell your children, family and friends what the true meaning of Christmas really is about. It doesn’t take long to read a few verses in the Gospels of luke to hear what God’s message of hope is for all mankind. As a matter of fact, Jesus, this very day, should be what you are thinking about regularly, and not just at Christmas.
If you really think about it, Christmas is a time that throws a wrench in the worldly order. It quite literally turns things upside down. Instead of living over 300 plus days as a scrooge or not being very compassionate to others and that even includes your own friends and family, Christmas seems to give people permission, at this one time of the year, to be good, to be more polite, to be more festive in lacking a better word. I sometimes wonder why people don’t complain about Christmas as much as they do the rest of the year! Partly is because the one true event on what Christmas is rooted in is the one thing God originally intended us to be all the way in the book of Genesis. Do you know what that is? To be like God Himself! To carry with us His image in every aspect of the word. Christmas seems to surface that analytical ora—yet it seems to also be short lived. How many of you this morning know you have a soul or spirit if you will? If I was to tell you this morning that is not true, what would you say? Obviously I’m wrong, which is exactly right. What I like for you think about this morning is we do not just have a soul/spirit, we actually are a soul/spirit. We become it, we live it, we express it in everything we do. Does that make sense? I cannot help but to remember the Gospel of John when Jesus tells us God is Spirit. Those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth! Our carnal body cannot satisfy God and it cannot redeem us from our sins. And Yet, we are reminded the world cannot accept God, mainly because the world cannot see or know Him for who He is. This is what I want to talk about today. Thinking about Jesus.
The New York Times wrote an article stating “The meaning of Christmas is that love will triumph and that we will be able to put together a world of unity and peace.” In other words, mankind can do it on our own power—which is certainly false! To help bring perspective to this truth about knowing and thinking about God, a 20th century first president of the Czech Republic stated "Pursuit of the good life will not help humanity save itself, nor is democracy alone enough," Havel said. "A turning to and seeing of … God is needed." In a nutshell, the human race constantly forgets, that "we are not God." How true that is!
To a point, Mary and Joseph experienced something very similar to this dilemma as we read in the Gospel of Luke today. As a matter of fact, this is the only part of Jesus youth that we read about where as He is given a pristine point towards what He has been called to do and knowing at such a young age who He was, even when His own earthly family forgot!
In chapter 2, we find the Holy family traveled to Jerusalem as they did every year for the Passover. Jesus was 12yo, and as they were returning to their home land after several days, the boy Jesus stayed in Jerusalem. How many of you ever left your child at Walmart or a store by accident? I was once, but they at least came back for me. So, as it was told, they traveled by caravan which is much safer than going alone and they realized Jesus was no where to be found. They forgot about their son. They assumed He was playing with other children or just behind them in the caravan, but overall, they took Jesus for granted in where His presence was. So, after three days, they found Jesus and he was not at a local arcade place, not at an ice cream shop or even at a friends house playing, they found Jesus at church! And starting at verse 48 tells us all we need to know. When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” So let me ask you, is there anything wrong with this picture? If your child just left your sight for three days, would you not also be anxious? Would you not want to whip that child to the next zip code, not to mention scald them? So what is different here? Well for starters, Jesus was not like any other human that ever lived—He was born to us for a purpose. Secondly Mary and Joseph, like many of us today, forgot just who Jesus is! Even for Mary and Joseph, Jesus, even at a young age had a mission to complete. Listen to verse 46, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. This child of the living God was growing towards His heavenly fathers likeness. Does this sound familiar?
What are we to do with Jesus? The new year is upon us my friends so what are we to do with God? There are many answers to this question, but let me try to give you some food for thought here. While it is always important to grow in Godly wisdom, just as young Jesus did—which means to read and study scripture, pray and tithe according to Gods will, worship and praise the living God and much more, what we need to do every single day, is to think on Jesus! Remind ourselves who Jesus really is! NOT what the world teaches, but what the truth gives us! NOT what we think we understand Jesus to be, but only what God says. How easy does that sound for you this morning? I know its not easy friends, but that’s the point. We cannot do it alone! We cannot live the Christian life alone, we cannot worship, praise and give God our hearts, minds and spirit without His presence in our lives. We cannot do it alone! Now you maybe asking, what was Jesus answer to Mary and Jospeh when they asked Him why He did this to them? And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” 50 And yet they on their part did not understand the statement which He had made to them. 51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. For both Mary and Joseph, it took time for them to understand who Jesus really was! They changed his diaper, they fed Him, they bathed Him, they clothed Him, yet they did not fully understand who Jesus was! It took God to intervene in order for them, like us today, to fully understand.
In closing, I want to better emphasize the message today on Thinking about Jesus by saying, thinking and learning more of God should not be a chore or even happen during Christmas ONLY. Growing in Godly wisdom should not be a spectacle to place around you while shinning a spotlight for others to see “Hey, look at me!” Being a follower of Christ should not be something to place yourself over others who do NOT know Christ! As a matter of fact, those that don’t know Him should be the ones YOU and I should help period by sharing the Gospel, good news, of the lord and savior of the world has came to save us all from sin. I know many people love new years resolutions, but let me tell you that about only 11 percent of gym memberships in 2019 are sold in January than any other month, and by February, most of those resolutions are dropped. It could be for various reasons, but I urge you to think about this. Following and serving Christ is NOT a new years event or even a get rich quick scheme. It’s a relationship that requires dedication, perseverance and love which all of these and much more come from our heavenly father.
Don’t let satan entice you to give up! Give it to God. Don’t let the world say it’s ok, just let it go. Give it to God. Don’t let the world shower your minds with things other than Jesus. Give it to God. Don’t let our carnal body trick you into giving in so quickly when we feel so weak and inadequate. Give it to God. For it is written in Isaiah 40, He gives strength to the weary, And to the one who lacks might He increases power. The Psalm tells us On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. Philippians 4 can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Let this be a new year to always remember as even though we may think its impossible, with God all things are possible. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Nothing is too wonderful for the Lord (REPEAT THAT)