The Purpose of Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Welcome to the RISE Christmas party. But more importantly, welcome to the week where we and the world are, or least should be focused on an event that happened two thousand years ago in a little town in the Middle East. But today, two thousand years later, it can still stop traffic. How is that? What’s so special about Christmas? Why is it that it’s the most celebrated holiday on the planet? Why is it that, next week, billions of people will shut down work, shut down their schools, go to a service, attend parties, and gather in their homes to celebrate Christmas. What makes Christmas special?

Although tonight is the RISE Christmas party, tonight I want to try to get us to focus on why we celebrate it.

At the very first Christmas, at the birth of Jesus, an angel announced three things:

1. Christmas is a time for celebration.
2. Christmas is a time for salvation.
3. Christmas is a time for reconciliation.

For those of you that attended worship at CCC a couple of weeks ago, Pastor John talked about the Charlie Brown Christmas where Charlie Brown asks the question that today everyone seems to have forgotten- that is, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Let’s take a look. (VIDEO).

I remember watching that as a kid, and it means more to me today than it ever has. And, I’m going to tell you why. Because over the past 18 months or so that I have had this great privilege to worship God with all of you, and grow in my faith with all of you, I have met some pretty great people in here that I am proud to know. I know some of you better than others, but I truly and sincerely consider all of you my brothers or sisters in Christ. But I wouldn’t be a true brother or sister in Christ with you unless I shared my personal life with you, and why Christmas means more to me than giving gifts to people who don’t need gifts, more than lights and wreaths, more than candy canes and really, really bad fruitcakes. So here goes-

I was born a Jew. As a kid in elementary school, junior high and high school I don’t remember my faith having any particular importance in my life. It seemed like more than anything that being a Jew was just something I was called, rather than who I was. For those of you who may be familiar with American Judaism, Jews in America fall for the most part into three groups- Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. Our family was part of the “Reform” movement, which looking back, just meant to me that if you didn’t want to be “religious,” you could just do what you want and be called a Reform Jew. My family really didn’t celebrate any of the Jewish holidays- oh, don’t get me wrong, my family took full advantage of skipping work or school if a Jewish holiday fell on a work or school day. But those days were usually filled with extreme and exhausting boredom, where myself and my brothers just kinda watched my dad read the newspaper and smoke his cigars. I knew when I was 15 that there had to be something more to “God” than this! But God had plans for me, and it just took Him a while to put me in a place where I would cross paths with the RISE. Now, fast forward to last week, when my Mother, who lives in Delaware, called to say hello and kind of check in. Well, after the obligatory discussion about the weather that seemed to go on forever, my Mother asked if we had finished all of our Christmas shopping. And, in the nicest way possible, I tried to tell her that our focus was not on buying lots of stuff. Sorry Stephen. I mean, I tried to convey to her that we just weren’t obsessed with buying lots of useless gifts, that that’s not what the season means to us. She wanted to know what it did mean. Now understand, I’ve been dancing on the sidelines with my family about my faith for the past couple of years. But, it was time- it was time for me to be proud to be called a Christian, and tell her the simple truth- that Christmas is a time where we celebrate to birth of Jesus Christ. You would have thought I told her that I had committed to most heinous crime imaginable. She yelled and screamed and told me how bad it was for me to tell her that, that I was born a Jew. Oh, the shrill of hatred of Christ and my conversion she has. And she hung up on me.

Was I upset? Of course I was. Would it be easier if my family would accept my decision for Christ? Of course it would. But like the guy who helped bring me to Christ said, I am Jewish, in fact I am a “complete Jew”, which is a term used for a Jewish person who has received Christ. All of Judaism hinges on the coming Messiah and the prophecy surrounding that event. I just realize that it happened 2000 years ago, and that He is alive today and loves me and all who believe in Him. He even loves my Mother.

So when I see that clip from Charlie Brown tonight, it means more to me than a funny cartoon- it is a major reason why we are all here tonight!

In Luke 2, the Bible says –“And there were shepherds out in the field nearby keeping watch over their flock by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were terrified. [I would be too if I saw an angel!] But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. I bring you good news of great joy. I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people.’”

So the first purpose of Christmas is CELEBRATION. It’s a party. The bible says “I bring you good news of great joy.” Actually, it’s a birthday party.

At Christmas, we have more parties than any other time of the year. Yet, it’s ironic that, often, the guest of honor is totally left out of the party. Christmas is a birthday party for Jesus. It’s why we say “Merry Christmas.” I don’t want to shock you, but God really likes parties. God is into parties. God likes to party. In fact, the Bible says that the angels hold a party every time a person turns away from their self-centeredness and turns to Him.

I read an article where a Pastor went out in the streets of Boston last week and asked people, “What are you going to be celebrating this Christmas?” This is what they said.

“This Christmas, what am I celebrating? Not a lot this Christmas.”

“The blessings that we’ve had in our family this year.”

“Just the Christmas spirit.”

“Being home and not being on the road for the holidays.”

“Family.”

“This Christmas? I’m celebrating the birth of Christ.”

“ Nothing. I just want to get through it.”

A lot of people feel that way about the Christmas season. “I’m not celebrating anything. I just want to get through it.” Some of you feel that way about my message tonight – “Man, I just want to get through it.”

The bottom line is this, Christmas is a party! We’re supposed to celebrate, but sometimes we’re so busy preparing, getting ready, buying presents, planning, we don’t have time to celebrate. We lose the joy of what the moment is all about.

This week, I was out Christmas shopping. I’m at the Emerald Square Mall in North Attleboro and I’m just standing in the middle of mall watching thousands of people, and nobody looked happy. They all looked pressured and stressed. They all looked a little cranky and it started wearing off on me. Just shows how easily we can lose the joy.

The good news of Christmas is three things. When God sent Jesus Christ to Earth, He was saying three things. One, God loves us. Two, God is with us. Three, God is for us. If that isn’t worth celebrating, nothing is.

First, God loves us.

The most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, says – “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” That’s the good news. God loved the world. That’s why He sent Jesus. He was sent on a message of love.

Christmas is saying to you, God says, “I love you.” The Bible says God is love. And God created the entire universe, just so He could create this planet, just so He could create the human race, just so He could create you, just so He could love you.

And He loves you on your good days as much as your bad days. And He loves you when you feel it, and He loves you when you don’t feel it. He loves you when you think you deserve it, and He loves you when you think you don’t deserve it. Because His love isn’t based on what you do. His love is based on who He is. None of us will never fully comprehend how much God loves you. It’s like an ant trying to understand the Internet. None of us have the brain capacity to understand how much God loves you.

But not only does God love you, but He’s with you.

You may not feel it, but it has nothing to do with your feelings. He’s with you all the time. The Bible says Jesus’ name was to be called Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” God says in the Bible, “I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.”

How many of you have been abandoned in life? Abandoned by friends. Abandoned by your teachers. Abandoned by your parents. I know some of you in here have. In fact, some refer to your generation as the “Abandoned Generation.” And I am sorry for that. It crushes me, it crushes Derek, and it crushes the entire youth team to know that some of you in here have been abandoned. By anything or anyone. But, if there is anything you can take from tonight, take this- God will NEVER EVER abandon you. You may not feel it. That may sound kind of weird to you.

The good news is this – God says, “I not only love you. I’m with you all the time, you just need to be aware of it.” It means you don’t have to face anything in 2008 by yourself. You can, but you don’t have to. Because God says, “I will be with you.” When God is near, it removes your fear. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to sweat it. You don’t have to be anxious about what’s going to happen. Because when God is near, you lose your fear. God says, “I’m going to give you hope.” If you’re lonely this Christmas, I urge you to give Jesus Christ a chance and sense that relationship in your heart.

He’s not only loving you, and He’s not only with you, but the Bible says God is for you.
He’s on your side. He wants you to win. He wants you to succeed in school. He wants you to succeed at work. He wants you to succeed in having great relationships with your friends. In fact, Jesus said this – “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.” So many people are afraid of God. You may be afraid of God. Maybe you get nervous when people start talking about God. You know why? It’s guilt. Guilt separates us from God. You think, “If I get close to God, He’s going to scold me. He’s going to remind me of all the things I’ve done wrong. He’s going to tell me the bad stuff.” That’s what I thought when I went to see my dentist earlier this fall. I thought, oh man, this guy is going to scold me and yell at me because I lost a couple of teeth because I didn’t care for them like he said I should.

But God said, “I didn’t come to scold you. I came to save you. That’s the good news. I’m not only with you. I not only love you. I am for you.” And if God is for us, who can be against us?

Jesus came to save us, not to scare us. That’s why the very first words of the angel was “Don’t be afraid.” You don’t need to be afraid. Because He says, “I love you, I’m with you, and I’m for you.” And that’s why we celebrate at Christmas.

The second purpose of Christmas is salvation.

That’s the second thing that the angels mention when they announce the birth of Jesus. The bible says, “Today, in the town of Bethlehem, a savior [there’s the salvation part] has been born to you, and He is Christ the Lord.”

Let me just make a point here. God never wastes any energy. He doesn’t do stuff that isn’t needed. So if you didn’t need a savior, believe me, He wouldn’t have gone to all the effort and trouble to send one. Does that make sense? God does not waste energy on things you don’t need. But the fact that He sent a savior to Earth means you need one. Whether you realize it or not, you need a savior.

A lot of people have trouble understanding salvation. I bet there are a lot of people you may have spoken to that know you are a Christian or attend youth ministry on Friday nights that may ask, “saved from what?” What does it mean to be saved? People say, “He was saved!” Was he drowning or something? But “saved” is just a another word for rescued, set free, or released.

How many times have you said that in your life, “Oh, God, I messed up- please get me out of this?” When you say that, you need a savior. Every time you go, “God, I need Your help,” you need a savior. “God, get me out of this.”

So what are you saved from?

First you’re saved from sin. That’s what Jesus’ name means. “Jesus” means “to save people from their sin.” In fact, Joseph was told in a dream these words “Give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sin.” That’s what “Jesus” means.

What in the world is sin anyway? What’s sin? Everybody’s got their list. I used to have a list. Don’t drink, don’t cuss, don’t smoke, don’t run around with girls who do. The fact is, everybody’s got their list. You’ve got your list of what you think is sin, and I’ve got my list.

But you know what sin really is- sin is an attitude. It’s not something you do. It’s an attitude. It’s, “I want to be my own boss. I don’t need God. It’s saying “God, You do Your thing and I’ll do my thing.” Sin is saying, “God, I know what will make me happy more than You do.

The Bible says that every one of us has had that attitude at times in our life when we’ve said, “I’m just going to do what I want to do. Forget God. We usually think that way when we’re frustrated, or when we’re angry, or when we’re hurt. But that attitude causes us to be separated from God. That’s why when you pray, you may feel like your prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling, because they do. There’s a separation between you and God. That’s why He sent Jesus as a savior.

Every one of your problems is caused by sin, that separation from God. Every single one of them. Sin causes confusion in your life. Sin causes guilt in your life. Sin causes shame in your life. It causes regret. It causes bitterness, resentment, and grudges. It causes worry. It causes fear. It causes anxiety. Sin causes depression. It causes discouragement. It causes emptiness. It causes despair. It causes conflict between you and other people. Every single one of your problems is caused because you’re not connected to God. If sin causes all of that, why go on sinning?

As a result of that, Jesus said, “I want to set you free. I want to release you. I want to save you.” Jesus said I want to save you from the burden of guilt. Jesus wants to set you free from the pain of bitterness. He wants to set you free from the fear of death. He wants to set you free from the burden of worry. And anxiety and stress. God doesn’t want you wandering around with all the unhappiness sin causes in your life. He wants to set you free.”

Maybe you’ve never really realized that you need a savior. Maybe some of you here tonight have never even thought about it, or have thought about it and just ignored it, thinking your sin will just go away like a cold or cut on your finger.

I know it doesn’t look like it today, but I was a lifeguard at a summer camp during college. And every lifeguard knows that one of the rules of life guarding is that you cannot save somebody as long as they’re trying to save themselves. When you swim out to somebody who is drowning in the ocean, and they’re just flailing around in panic trying to save themselves, any wise lifeguard knows, just stay back for a few seconds, tread water, and wait until they give up. Because if you try to save them while they’re trying to save themselves, they will pull you under with them. So you just tread water until finally they give up, they relax.

God wants to save you because you too are drowning, slowly. Jesus Christ wants to save you from your hurts. He wants to save you from your habits. He wants to save you from your hang-ups. But you’ve got to quit trying to do it yourself. You’ve got to relax. Just take a deep breath right now. Just relax. You need to let go and let God be God.

The first purpose of Christmas is celebration – “I bring you good news of great joy and it’s for everybody.”

The second purpose this Christmas is salvation – “For unto you is born this day a savior and He’s Christ the Lord.”

Here’s the third purpose of Christmas – Reconciliation.

Here’s the third thing the angel said at the very first Christmas. “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace good will toward men.” The third announcement was, “Let there be peace on Earth and good will toward men.” That’s called reconciliation.

What is reconciliation? It’s when a broken relationship is restored. When a boyfriend and girlfriend get back together. Or a husband and wife get back together, there’s reconciliation. When a father and son reconcile. They restore harmony, they restore peace between each other.

Where do you need peace in your life this Christmas? That’s what Christmas is all about. Peace on Earth, good will toward men.

In that poll I just talked about, people were also asked “Where do you need peace?” Here’s what some of them said:

Where would you like to see peace?

“Peace? Everywhere I guess. I’d like to see peace everywhere.”

“I’d like to see peace in the broken families.”

“I’d love to see peace in politics.”

“With each other.”

“In my heart.”

“I’d like to see it at home.”

“I’d like to see peace in my life.”

“Peace? Right in this country of ours.”

“Between my parents!”

“Between me and my parents!”

Have you made peace with God? If you haven’t, I am here to tell you that you need to. And soon. Because one day, you will face Him. You need to make peace with God.

How do you do it? You don’t do it by promising to be a good person. You don’t do it by being perfect. You don’t do it by coming to church every Sunday. You can’t do it based on how much money you give to the Church. You don’t do it by never sinning. No- You make peace by faith. Faith in God’s grace. That’s how you get it.

Jesus said it like this – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” If you’re really a child of God, if you really know Christ, the Prince of peace, you’re going to be a peacemaker, not a troublemaker, at work. You’re going to be a peacemaker, not a troublemaker, at home or at school. You’re going to build people up, not tear them down. You’re going to compliment more than you criticize. You’re going to love people the way Jesus loves people.

Christmas is the perfect time to show grace to other people. So let me ask you a very frank question: Who do you need to rebuild a relationship with this Christmas? Who do you need to restore a broken relationship with this Christmas? Who do you need to reconcile with, to make peace with? I need to reconcile with my Mother. That’s the spirit of Christmas. Peace on Earth, good will toward men.

You may say, that’s easy for you to say Bob, but I just can’t do it. When families get together at Christmas time, it raises up a whole lot of bad memories a lot of times. And past hurts and a lot of dysfunction and a lot of things that you just haven’t let go of. So you say, “I can’t let go of it. They hurt me too bad. I can’t forgive them.”

And you know what? You’re right. You can’t forgive or reconcile…on your own. That’s why you need Jesus. You don’t have it in you to let it go. But in order to let it go, you’re going to have to let Jesus Christ fill you with His love so you can love other people the way He does.

You know, I absolutely believe without a shadow of a doubt that you’re not here by accident. God knew, before you were born, that you would be here at the RISE tonight. In fact, before God created the universe, God already knew that He was going to create you. And before you were even born, He knew that on December 21st, 2007 in the sanctuary at Christ Community Church in East Taunton, Massachusetts, you would be sitting here. And pointing to this moment so He could get your attention for just a few seconds so He could say this to you: “I’ve seen every hurt in your life. And I never stopped loving you. You matter to Me. I love you, no matter what you have done, or thought, or said, or felt. I love you more than you will ever know. I’ve been watching and waiting for you to love Me back. You’re not here just by accident. But I want you to know Me. I want the rest of your life to be the best of your life. I love you. I’m with you. And I’m for you. I want to save you from your past. If you’ll let Me do that, I will give you peace with Me, peace of Me, and peace with other people. But You’ve got to open the door. You’ve got to receive the Christmas gift.”

The Bible says this, “It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from. If you want God, and you’re ready to do as He says, the door is open.” Let me say it again. I don’t really care what your religious background is. You may be Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Baptist, Hindu, or nothing – no religion. But, this is not about religion. God did not send Jesus to give religion. He sent Jesus so you could have a personal relationship with God.

I’m going to pray a prayer right now that I prayed a few years ago on the train home from Boston when I stepped across the line and became a friend of God’s. It’s a pretty simple prayer. As I pray in just a minute – I’m going to ask you to bow your heads – and if these words express the desire in your heart, you just say in your mind, “Me too, God. Me too. I’m in. I’m stepping across the line.” Are you man enough to have the courage to do that? Are you a woman with enough sense to do that? If you are, please see one of the team leaders after the prayer. We can help you move across the line, and close the deal. And accept this free Christmas gift from God.



Let’s Pray:
Dear God, I’m scared. But I want to get to know You. I don’t understand it all. But I thank You that You love me. I thank You that You’re with me even when I didn’t recognize it. I thank You that You’re for me. That You didn’t send Jesus to condemn me, but to save me. I admit I never even realized I needed a savior. But today I want to receive Your Christmas gift of Your Son. I ask You to save me from my past, from my regrets, from my mistakes, from my sins, from my habits and my hurts and my hang ups that mess up my life. Save me from myself. I ask You to save me for Your purpose. I want to know why You put me on this planet. And I want to be what You want me to be. I want to fulfill what You made me to do. I want to learn to love You and to trust You and have a relationship with You. I need peace with You, God. And I need You to put the peace of God in my heart. To take away that stress and to fill me with Your self and Your love. Help me to be a peacemaker. To help others find the peace with You and with each other. In Your name I pray. Amen.

(thanks to Rick Warren for making the skeleton of this message available)