In 2013 I preached a season series called: Christmas Is Not Your Birthday. My thoughts were not original. I based the whole series on a study of the same name written by Mike Slaughter (born 1951), who pastored The Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio for nearly four decades. Living in a post Christendom world, he is afraid many have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. According to the National Retail Association, the average American home will spend more than $1,100 on Christmas this year. The United States will spend more than one trillion dollars on Christmas. I have nothing against Christmas, but I agree with Slaughter. Christmas is about the incarnation of God, Jesus. There is a spiritual side of Christmas which should not be forgotten. That takes us to our scripture reading, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9.
1 Corinthians was written by the Apostle Paul in the year 55 AD while he was staying in Ephesus. At the time, Corinth was a commercial giant, boasting 650,000 people, both free and slave. She was known for three things. First, there was her culture. Her Greek population valued philosophy and wisdom. Second, there was her religious diversity, boasting at least twelve temples to various gods. Third, she was known for her immorality. It is not surprising that the Christian congregation in Corinth began to fracture under the weight of its secular world. The theme of the entire book revolves around the topic of proper Christian conduct. That is why this epistle still speaks to our world.
We are more like the Corinthians than we care to admit. Like them, we are surrounded by an arrogant world which claims to have all the answers. Like them, our faith in Jesus Christ makes us different. Like them, our world is motivated by personal profit and personal pleasure. Like them, we are surrounded by people who ignore the truth. Jesus is the greatest life that ever lived. Our reading exposes three divine truths for those for those who believe in Jesus. They are foreign to nonbelievers. In this blog, I want to explore each one.
First, on the day you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you were given grace. 1 Corinthians 1:4-6 says, “I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way–in all your speaking and in all your knowledge– because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.” In other words, we are saved by grace and by grace alone. It is impossible to earn your salvation. At Christmas we celebrate that grace came in the name of Jesus, who died for our sins.
In 1830, a man named George Wilson was convicted of robbing the U.S. mail and was sentenced to death. Due to a friend’s influence, President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) issued a pardon for Wilson, but he refused to accept it. The matter went to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshall (1755-1835) said, “A pardon is a slip of paper. The value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon.” History tells us Wilson was executed. That is the story of many people. They refuse their pardon and believe they can earn their salvation. I hope that is not your story. We are saved by grace and by grace alone.
Second, on the day you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you were given gifts. 1 Corinthians 1:7 says, “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.” What is Paul saying? He is not talking about earthly gifts, like Christmas presents. Paul is talking about the kind of gifts that are needed in the life of the church. Paul expounds on these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 through 14. The gifts include wisdom, knowledge, council, fortitude, understanding, piety and fear of the Lord. This list is far from complete. You may have received another gift. What gift has God given you? We are to use these gifts generously.
On April 6, 1999, a Louisiana church had its Easter services interrupted by a gunman wearing a ski mask. The robber held a gun to the head of one of the parishioners. He told them he would shoot the man if he didn’t collect enough money. The money was collected but the gunman wasn’t happy. As the gunman left, he was disappointed with the small take. You can look at the story in two ways. Either most of the people just came with a few dollars to give, or they thought that the life of their fellow parishioner wasn’t worth much. Either way, they had mixed up priorities. This is the question you must answer. How much are you willing to sacrifice for a fellow church member? God expects us to be generous with our gift.
Third, on the day you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you were given gall. People with gall have a brazen boldness coupled with stubborn assurance. It means remaining fast in the faith while the rest of the world is telling you to compromise your faith. 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 says, “He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” How much of your faith have you compromised?
Years ago, I was up late channel surfing. I came across one of those Hallmark Christmas movies. I can’t remember which one. It was either A Christmas Bride, A Bride for Christmas or Grandma’s Christmas Wedding. It was the one where the cute girl meets the cute guy. They are interested in each other, but life keeps them apart. In the end, after drinking gallons of hot chocolate, they end up together. As they are kissing, the snow begins to fall, and all their friends show up for Christmas dinner.
The scene that caught my attention was the community Christmas pageant. What caught my attention was the music. The children’s choir sang Silent Night. There is history and depth to that song. It was completed in 1818 in Austria. The words were written by Joseph Mohr (1792-1848). The tune was written by Franz Gruber (1787-1863). When I heard the song, I wanted to see how Hallmark would handle the birth of Jesus. In their version, Jesus was eliminated. In their version, as the children’s choir sang Silent Night, Santa was on the roof delivering presents.I was numb by the scene at first. Then, I began to question, how can you have Christmas without Jesus? Christmas is about Jesus. You will receive gifts, but Christmas is not your birthday!
Never forget, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ! Our belief in Jesus makes us different from the rest of the world. The great Methodist hymn writer Charles Wesley (1707-1788) once penned these words, “Hark the herald angels sing, “Glory to the new-born king.” Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”
Russ Adams 