A Right Christmas

( Publisher’s Note: This year, we decided to take a peek back through the years and reprint some of the stories, poems, etc. that have been published over the years. This Christmas message is reprinted from The Herald-News Christmas special edition 43 years ago in 1978.)

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” — Matthew 1:21 What does Christmas mean to you? It means many things to many different people. But Christmas means everything to the real Christian. It means that God loves him with all His heart. It means that God has seen his lost condition and has done something about it. It means that God has given the best gift that even God could give. It means that a Saviour is born ... born to set an example with His life ... born to die for our sins ... born to be raised again from the dead ... born to ascend back to the right hand of the Father ... born to give us hope of His coming again. Christmas means that the real Christian has a companion for life ... a friend in the hour of death ... a loving brother for eternity. Christmas means everything for the real Christian.

If we are to have a “Right Christmas,” certain attitudes must be displayed in that Christmas. Follow the Gospel story and see what a right Christmas should include.

First, a Right Christmas includes making room for Jesus. When Joseph and Mary came to the inn, the innkeeper said that he had no room for them. What a mistake he made! He had many guests in his hotel. They were soon gone and forgotten. But what if Jesus the Christ had been allowed to be born there? His whole way of life would have been changed. So much of mankind today has no room for Jesus. Their hearts and lives are filled with other things. Would it not be a wonderful thing this Christmas if all of us could throw out all else and make room for Jesus the Christ in our hearts?

This means not only the sins of the flesh ... murder, robbery, adultery ... but also the sins of disposition. Very few of us are murderers, but most of us have an envious disposition. Maybe our particular “hang-up” is hate, or an unforgiving spirit. Then what about gossip? Backbiting? What a wonderful experience we could have on Christmas morning if all of us would cast out every evil thing from our hearts.

Many people have as their greatest desire the desire to hurt someone ... to tear them up, or to cut them down. How can man enjoy Christmas with such a spirit? We must throw those things out and make room in our hearts for Jesus.

There are many signs along the highway that read, “No Vacancy.” Some of mankind have hung out the same sign for Jesus. There is no room in their heart for Jesus! That is like the ocean saying there is no room for the tide ... it is like the tree saying that it has no room for the sap ... it is like the garden saying that it has no room for a flower. I urge you, make room for Jesus in your heart. If you have not, then you are not living; you are simply existing.

A second attitude concerning a Right Christmas includes worship. When Jesus was born, a miracle took place. The gates of Heaven were opened for an angel to come to speak to a group of shepherds. “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:11. The shepherds went to town, found the baby Jesus and knelt down and worshipped Him. If you are to have a right Christmas, you must come and worship Him also.

Has worship a place in your life? It is a lost art with many Christians. They do not have the time to stop; to look into the face of God Almighty and worship Him. They never enter God’s house. They say they can worship God just as well outside the church. They could if they would ... but they won’t.

Longfellow could take a worthless piece of paper and write a poem worth thousands of dollars. Rockefeller could sign a check and make it worth millions of dollars. A machinist can take $20 worth of material and make it worth a hundred. An artist can take a worthless piece of canvas and paint a picture worth thousands of dollars.

And God can take a worthless life, wash it in the blood of Jesus, put His spirit into it and make it a blessing to the world and a joy to His own heart. But even God cannot do this if He is not given the chance. If we come to Him as the shepherds did; if we kneel down before Him and worship Him; if we surrender ourselves totally to His Lordship ... then He will transform us into something beautiful indeed.

Again, a Right Christmas includes the grace of giving. The Gospel story shows the wise men coming to bring their gifts to Jesus. They brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each gift was a gift of value. Today, we know more about Jesus than they did. He has done more for us than He did for them. Are we giving ourselves? Are we giving our time, our talents and our money to Him?

The matter of giving reached a climax on the cross. Look at Jesus! He is giving all that He has for you and me. We would all be traveling a one-way road to Hell if He would not have given Himself for us. Yet, many of our church members have not given even one hour to Jesus during this past year ... many have not given even a penny for His cause. Must Jesus give all and are we to give nothing in return?

Finally, the Right Christmas includes the matter of telling others about Jesus. For many years, men had looked for the Messiah; they had longed for Him to come ... to fill their hearts with the peace and joy they so desperately needed. Now, the long night of waiting is over. An angel has just brought the sweetest message the world has ever heard.

But today men are still in the darkness of sin. They are looking for something that satisfies. They are searching, seeking frantically for that which will satisfy their soul. We know what they need ... they need Jesus. Someone told us the old, old story of Jesus ... we should return the favor. We should tell it to others.

A businessman tells of coming out of his office on a cold, blustery day. The snow, rain and sleet were all mixed together. The wind whipped fiercely about him. He rolled up his collar and ran for his car. But, in the doorway of a store, he saw a 10-year-old boy. He was blue and shivering from the cold — tears were streaming down his face.

The little fellow looked so pitiful that the man stopped and asked him about his trouble. “My father sent me to the store for bread. He gave me a dollar, but my hand was so cold that it slipped out and blew away. I am afraid to go back home.” The man told the boy to go on home — that his father would understand. But, the boy shook his head and said, “You don’t know my dad; he’s drunk and he’ll almost kill me.” The man went into the store with the boy, bought the bread and gave him the change from the dollar. The boy thanked him sincerely. Then, in a moment of great emotion, he set the bag on the counter, put his arms around the man’s waist and, with tears streaming down his face, said, “I wish you was my daddy.”

Now listen to what the man said later, “I walked around four blocks in the rain, sleet and snow to see if I could find another boy who had lost a dollar.” But the joy he had is nothing compared the joy you can know if you tell someone else about Jesus. He loved us and died for us. He wants us to live for Him and seek opportunities to tell others that old, old story.

So let us do these four things this Christmas — Let us make room for Jesus in our heart ... Let us bow down and worship Him ... Let us bring our gifts unto Him ... And let us tell others the sweet old story of Jesus and His love. Then, we will have a “Right Christmas.”