Rev. David Holwick ZM
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
November 30, 1997
Luke 1:39-45,56
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I. Is Christmas a hassle for you?
A. Christmas is a time of stress for many families.
1) Thanksgiving is the kick-off.
2) SANDWICHES UNLIMITED sign: "Shoppers, start your engines!"
3) Gifts, decorating, cooking, cards - women are ones who
have to really come through.
B. If you think you have it bad, consider Santa.
There are 2 billion children (persons under 18) in the world.
If you limit it to Christians, it reduces his workload to
perhaps 15% of the total - 378 million.
At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household,
that's 91.8 million homes.
One presumes there's at least one good child in each.
Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the
different time zones and the rotation of the earth.
This works out to 822.6 visits per second.
So for each Christian household with good children, Santa has
1/1000th of a second to park and hop out of the sleigh,
jump down the chimney,
fill the stockings,
distribute the remaining presents under the tree,
eat whatever snacks have been left,
get back up the chimney,
get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house.
Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly
distributed around the earth, we are talking about 0.78
miles per household.
That's a total trip of 75 million miles, so Santa's sleigh is
moving at 650 miles per second, or 3,000 times the speed of
sound.
The space shuttle goes only 26 times the speed of sound, max.
The running around you have to do is peanuts in comparison!
#4230
C. Time constraints.
1) How to ration time with in-laws, other relatives.
2) How do you do everything, when you keep adding on?
You know the houses ... there might be one on your street.
The houses that, around Christmastime, compel passers-by to slow
down, mouths agape, and comment on the extravagant holiday
display before their eyes.
Some call them tasteless or tacky, but there can be no doubt that
these people love Christmas.
Some even budget for the astronomical bills associated with the
thousand-watt displays.
"We just like Christmas," said Jeff Craddock.
"And it's for the kids, and we started making the individual
displays, and then - ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER."
The display Craddock speaks of has a lighted reindeer leaping over
a driveway, a Santa Claus, carolers and lights everywhere.
He builds all his displays himself, and says he spends about $600
to $700 in electric bills.
Margie Spory's house has dozens of mini Christmas trees, a Santa
holding teddy bears and a candy cane picket fence.
"It just keeps getting bigger and bigger," she said.
"My son gets his inspiration from 'National Lampoon's Christmas
Vacation.'
[where turning on the lights causes power outage]
He watches it to get in the Christmas spirit.
...People think we're nuts, but we just keep doing it."
#4227
Sometimes, when you "just keep doing it," you really do go nuts.
D. Don't let Christmas go by without capturing the essence.
1) Not ambitious, perhaps, but realistic.
2) We think holiday is under control, but is it?
3) Have we done well according to our King? Or just neighbors?
II. Christmas has the potential to be good and bad.
A. Blessings of Christmas.
1) Happiness, memories.
B. Curses of Christmas.
1) Family disasters.
2) Over-commercialization.
C. Mary's dilemma.
1) Annunciation, visited by an angel - can cause stress and
disbelief by others.
2) Culture intolerant of pregnancy out of wedlock.
a) Community reaction? Hints of scandal years later.
b) Joseph.
III. Slow down and evaluate your actions.
A. Mary took time to sort out her feelings.
1) Visit to Elizabeth.
a) Blessing by Elizabeth.
b) Acknowledgment by John, her unborn infant.
2) Confirmation events were of God.
a) Didn't resolve every issue.
b) Didn't answer every question.
c) Everything didn't happen overnight.
3) Return to Nazareth.
a) Mary takes the time (several months) to slow down.
b) She evaluates her actions.
1> She was a person who "treasured things in her heart."
c) She makes the coming time the best it can possibly be.
B. Evaluating your Christmas.
1) We have less time than Mary.
a) Our issues are not as complicated.
b) But if we don't slow down, we will miss meaning of season.
Example of a family in our church. (permission given)
Their finances were incredibly tight before Thanksgiving
even rolled around.
Lo and behold, a change in insurance plans gave them
an unexpected $300 rebate.
Then their loan company told them they wouldn't have
to make a payment in December, which saved $345.
The wife was thrilled - this was evidence of God!
But the husband was still depressed.
The unexpected money had to cover bills and debt.
They didn't even have gas money to drive to the Delaware
Water Gap.
His wife, being the sensible one, suggested going around
the corner to Waterloo Village.
There was no fee that day, and they walked all around
enjoying the scenery.
Don't focus on what you don't have.
Look at the blessings, and make the most of it.
Wife - these experiences are leading me to a higher
level of faith.
#1234
2) Make an assessment.
a) What worked in past, what didn't work.
b) Creative ways to give.
1> Boys and wooden firehouse - thought it would fit
under bed, but their version won't fit in house!
c) Creative ways to decorate.
1> Rationing out year by year.
2> You don't have to do it all, be able to cut back.
d) Creative ways to handle relationships / family.
C. Reflect on meaning.
1) Advent ceremonies (calendars, candles).
2) (Schrum family and journey of Jesus' family...)
3) Christmas cards - more spiritual?
a) (Celeste gave my cards to Tricky-Tray.
b) A wonderful opportunity to witness.
IV. Make this the best special time it can possibly be.
A. Pro-active approach to Christmas.
B. How will you mark the coming to earth of the Messiah?
1) Do we celebrate in a way that honors God? Probably not.
2) Too commercialized.
C. Act like Christians.
1) Do not get antagonistic toward society, but seek to
reach it.
2) Seek special time with family.
3) Improve over last year.
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