Your birthday is special; it’s a time you look forward to celebrating with friends and family. But imagine if this is what your birthday was like.
Imagine it is your birthday. At first just your family and a few friends celebrate it with you. It is a quiet celebration.
However, as time goes on, more and more people get to know you. They decide they want to celebrate your birthday as well. The birthday parties become more elaborate and widespread. Every so often someone comes to your birthday party who doesn’t know you personally but you don’t mind, you’re glad they are having a good time.
As the years go on, more and more people hear about you. Even people in other countries know about you and decide they want to celebrate your birthday as well. They come up with many strange and different ways to celebrate you birthday.
Somewhere along the way, in addition to giving you presents for your birthday, people start giving presents to each other. This idea becomes really popular. Before long, even people who have no idea who you are begin giving and receiving presents on your birthday. They even start making up lists of things they want to be given on your birthday!
People begin having parties on your birthday but never mention you or even give you a second thought. They are having so much fun celebrating by giving presents to each other they don’t even bother giving you any presents. They send out birthday cards to each other that have nothing to do with you.
Then one day, someone says to you “I don’t think we should invite you to the birthday party anymore. You make some people uncomfortable. Please just go away and let us have the party without you.”
Imagine your birthday was like that. How would you like it?
Isn’t that what has happened to Jesus Christ’s birthday? Hasn’t it become a birthday party at which He is not welcome?
1 comment:
Bruce, I sadly admit that I have fallen into the commercial trap. I try to make sure I get all the things my family will enjoy as gifts. I do, however, thank Him that I am even able to do so. He is certainly a part of of our celebration. Now if only I could bring myself to give three gifts to each of my boys I'd be ok. What was good enough for him should be good enough for them.
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