CHRIST IS GREATER THAN CHRISTMAS

When it comes to serving Christ, the Christian knows that whatever the time or season, the Lord remains firm on priority. He demands first place... We can become so caught up with the Christmas fever that we lose sight of Christ the saviour. It would seem that at Christmas, more than any other time, some Christians displease Christ in what they may consider their most diligent and elaborate efforts to please Him. In the heat of “Christmas preparations,” priorities are mixed up. The main thing ceases to be the main thing, emotions overwhelm scriptural principles of worship and we upset the Lord in the process. Our over-zealous pre-occupation with “celebrating His birth” fails to win His appreciation.

It is not that Christ disapproves of a celebration in honour of His birth. The Bible records a magnificent celebration on the night He was born (Luke 2:13). But the Lord is not impressed with the excess and shift in focus. Jesus’ priority on an occasion of elaborate preparation being made in His honour, is very strikingly brought out in an account found in Luke 10:38-42. Two sisters, Martha and Mary, were expecting a visit from Jesus to their home. Martha decided that the occasion warranted the most elaborate kind of preparation, since Jesus by virtue of His status, deserved it. Jesus arrived at the home and began sharing some of His precious teachings. Mary remained riveted in His presence receiving the words of the Lord in the spirit of worship. Martha, who obviously had deeply impressed herself with all the hard labour and sweat she had been putting into the extensive cleaning, baking the turkey and ham and spicing up the big banquet, got furious at what she thought was a lazy, irresponsible and “too churchy” Mary.

Absolutely convinced that Jesus would be most elated at her enormous efforts in preparation for His visit, Martha sought the Lord’s assistance as she complained of Mary’s lack of co-operation. Like many of us Christmas freaks today, Jesus’ response gave Martha the shock of her life. “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” Luke 10:41-42. The Lord does say, “My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts...” (Isa 55:8). Martha must have felt deeply disappointed, but she would have certainly received a very significant lesson, with respect to the Lord’s non-compromising position on His priority. His word and His worship take precedence over every other activity. Christmas is supposed to be the time when we commemorate the birth of Christ. For many people over the globe however, the occasion is merely a time of heavy socialising and much merriment. The sanctity is non-existent. For true Christians, though, Jesus is the reason for the season. When it comes to serving Christ, the Christian knows that whatever the time or season, the Lord remains firm on priority. He demands first place. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...” Matt 6:33.

Christians therefore have to carefully guard against being carried away by the compelling forces of the Christmas euphoria with its crazy commercial frenzy and wild emotionalism. We can become so caught up with the Christmas fever, that we lose sight of Christ the saviour. A Christian is supposed to be a disciplined clear-headed person, who can manage priorities, maintaining a rational balance, irrespective of emotional, social or psychological pressures to do otherwise. It is no secret that some Christians, who know better, allow themselves to cross the line of balance and get caught up in the excesses of “Christmas activities.” Their sense of restraint appears to be suspended as they abandon the basic principles of commitment and order of priorities to which they adhered from January through November. Some of them forsake church activities and their sacred functions such as prayer and Bible study. Giving, sharing and other acts of goodwill go hand-in-hand with the biblical Christmas spirit. Benevolence is synonymous with Christlikeness. Some commercial activity is therefore expected in the buying of gifts and other items necessary for the socialising aspect of the season.

Man is a social being and so was Christ. In fact, at the very beginning of his ministry, here on earth, Christ blended the social and the spiritual in a remarkable way. His first miracle was not performed in a church but in a social setting. It took place at a wedding reception, where Jesus turned the water into wine. Nevertheless, the Lord doesn’t mix matters with what/who comes first, irrespective of how demanding we may deem the situation at hand. One follower of Christ heard of the death of his father. He asked, “Lord, permit me to first go and bury my father and then come and follow thee” (Matt 8:21). Jesus’ reply must have hit the young man like a tonne of bricks. “Come, follow me and let the dead bury their dead,” was the Master’s terse response (Matt 8:22). Tough one, boy! If the Lord refused to tolerate a distraction in the form of the passing of one’s father, will He compromise to accommodate the Santa Claus fever? Enjoy your Christmas, but remember, Christ is greater than Christmas.