same & DIFFERENT

A belated CHRISTMAS DAY posting on NEW YEARS DAY…..I have been in Church since I was three and was born in raised in a family that “went to church”, I honestly cannot recall when there was NO CHRISTMAS in our home or family. With an active and serving spirit, I too cannot recall, a Christmas that was not spent in serving or reaching out and sharing the true message of Christmas – whether as a little boy narrating the Christmas story, or play acting my part in the Christmas Pageant or leading a cell outreach or even on a grander scale to reach out and to give to the needy and the poor or even supporting big Christmas productions at venues that were many times larger than my living room. Therefore, if there’s anything to be concern about, it would be that CHRISTMAS can come and go as like it has been for the past many years…another SAME CHRISTMAS, 25 DECEMBER 2006.

However, this Christmas (25 December 2006) morning there was something DIFFERENT. In the quietness of my living room, with an open bible and an open heart I read again the SAME Christmas Story, told some 2000 years ago and I recalled again, how God showed His love to us when He gave us His Son, yes Christmas is really about me (see earlier posting). But suddenly something moved in my spirit, there was a warmth than came upon me with a fresh realization that God did not just SHOW us His love that first Christmas but HE actually GAVE us His love, is there a difference? Yes, because of the SAME-NESS of Christmas each year and the often place of “sharing” the Christmas story, I realized that I can get so easily trapped by the “showing and telling” of the Christmas Story- the message of God showing us His Love that i forget that the real dilemma before us, is that God did not just SHOW us His love but He really GAVE us His love…..and as with any gift that is put into our hands, you have a very immediate "problem" at hand – to receive this gift or to reject it, there is very little in-between. It is a matter that you cannot run away from, it must be confronted and a personal decision is called for.

I realized now that, the mindset of God “showing” me His love, just made me a spectator or an audience in the “Christmas Pageant” and I can then decide with no consequence to self, what I need to do with what I SEE. I can have an “of stage” view of this whole story that is played out before me and then do absolutely nothing about it.

But, this morning, this Christmas, it dawn upon me that Christmas is really not about God just “showing” His love but it really is the “giving” his love to me, a GIFT place into my hands or as some young people would say “in your face”….i am confronted with a very pressing decision to make. Do i want it, will i accept or reject this gift.

Therein in my living room, this SAME Christmas morning, I came to a very DIFFERENT place to receive again His love afresh. “Receiving” His love is more important than just “seeing” His love. This is where, suddenly God came near this Christmas – it was DIFFERENT.