T'is the Season to be Jolly
T'is The Season to be Jolly
This is the season to be jolly, or happy, joyous and
celebrative of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Believe me it has only been over the past few
years that I have been joyous, most of the Christmas’ past have been
miserable. Nonetheless, I am the one who
made them miserable, just being stupid and worldly, and in doing so, I made not
only myself miserable but also everyone around me.
Now with that experience (bad as it seems), I can speak with
some degree of confidence and remorse about celebrating Christmas. You do not have to make signs “the reason for
the season”, or “Keep Christ in Christmas” just simply live your
convictions. I do not engage in the
argument of, “December 25th is not the day Jesus was born”, or How
many wise men was really there?, not to mention the involvement of the church
at Rome as to reasons of setting the day of December 25th.
Wow no wonder I have been so screwed up!, trying
to argue an argument that is not even an argument, but rather to trouble
the trouble with trouble!
While being the program Director/Pastor/Counselor, at the
Wilderness Deliverance Camp, a faith based recovery program, I listened to the
morning devotional time nearly every morning, and that is just one of the thing
that they said. What it means is I will trouble whatever is troubling me with trouble,
(the Word of God).
Of course, celebrating the birth of Jesus is a man-created
time of celebration, which became a tradition of the church and Christianity,
just as the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus over
the Easter holiday. Jesus instituted his
memorial and told us to partake and celebrate it as an ordinance of the church,
or a sacrament in some faiths. Therefore,
Easter and Christmas are yes, man established celebrations; the “special
celebration” is the Lords Supper his memorial “Do this in Remembrance of Me”,
but we as Christians should remember him every day and celebrate Jesus every
day.
The celebration holiday of Christmas, is for us … family,
friends, and our church family to celebrate in Jesus, his coming into the
world, (His coming into the world, for a specific purpose)…for my sin --- your
sin --- the sin of the world. We celebrate
His birthday (coming into this world as a little baby, our salvation).
The joy of it all, for those of us who have
Him in our hearts, it is truly a time to celebrate the greatest gift to
mankind.
Oh, and this thing about St. Nicolas, Santa Claus, and the
giving of gifts, that is okay to, oh yeah, he was a Christian, but the thing he
did was giving of gifts to the poor and children. If that is the spirit in which you would like
to celebrate then by all means do so, gifts and the giving of gifts, from the
time of the Wise Men of the east, giving gifts to the then baby of about two
years old.
On the other hand, perhaps by giving a gift brings home the
gift God gave to us. Just don’t let the
world get you down because you can’t afford to give like some people give. Give what you can afford, don’t go into debt,
or get it by illegal means, don’t let the devil make it a mind thing, or a
guilt thing, just trouble that trouble with the trouble of Christ. Let the joy of the Lord reign high in your
heart and mind.
In this day, when you go shopping or to the bank or where
ever it may be, most of the time (especially grocery, and Wal-Mart, K-Mart), the
clerks, at times, don’t even act like your even there, and seldom say thank
you, but I say it for them, Thank you. Many
places of business actually have adopted policies not to say “Merry Christmas”;
no more trouble for me, I give them trouble, and simply say have a very Merry
Christmas. Many times, it sparks a
positive response, and they wish me a Merry Christmas.
I guess I just ripened with age, stopped fretting over the “War
on Christmas”, if it offends the world, that is okay with me, if I am not
politically correct, that is okay as well, if the heathens don’t want to
celebrate the holiday, no one is making them, they don’t have to, but don’t
trouble me with your trouble. I don’t
have to celebrate Atheist day, or journey to Mecca to celebrate a false
prophet, I don’t have to celebrate darkness with the heathens. Nevertheless, they will not use their trouble
to trouble me, (steal my joy), I will trouble their trouble with my joy.
To all of you,
Have a very Merry Christmas … filled with joy.
R.S.Helms
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