START at the manger THEN go to the cross

What are your feelings on Christmas?
I'll be honest. I dislike most things that go with this holiday. I'm a mixture between Scrooge and the Grinch. I'm not greedy and selfish like Scrooge but I have his attitude of Bah Humbug. I won't try to steal away your Christmas like the Grinch but I agree with his statement about the "Noise! Noise! Noise!"
I just plain don't have the Christmas spirit in me. It's something I have to work on to bring out. Everything stresses me out and stress makes me not feel well. This Christmas there was other stresses going on that weren't about Christmas but just bad timing. But I still am not fond of Christmas.
Don't get my wrong.. there are moments I love. Like laughing with my sisters and family, seeing my nieces and nephews grow up, and seeing people open the gifts I bought. The thing I hate the most is wrapping the gifts. The thing I love the most is seeing their face when they open it and they truly love it.
There were a couple times this past weekend that I'd slip away to a back bedroom and just lie down. It didn't get me completely away from it all but I was able to relax and shut my brain off a little.
I can't tell you how many times my fiance has said "It's Christmas! Get in the Christmas Spirit!" And I don't remember which time it was when it finally hit me.. what is Christmas spirit?
I started to focus more on the real reason for the season. Yes, I know, it's not about gifts and Santa. It's about the birth of Christ. I've known that as long as I've been alive BUT I don't know if I've honestly ever thought about it.
My favorite holiday is Easter. I absolutely love it. The way most people feel about Christmas is probably the way I feel about Easter. Why do I love Easter? Because that is when my Savior conquered death and made it so I could have life. Eternal life. Oh my goodness! Just the thought of it makes me want to jump up and yell "whoo hoo!" Without Easter (Christ's resurrection), His life and death mean nothing.
As I was analyzing Christmas I swear God said, "Guess what, Amanda, Christ could not conquer death if He didn't die. And Christ could not die if he was not born."
"Duh!" I said to myself.
Seems simple doesn't it? I always knew it but it's taken 32 years to put it in my heart and to REALLY know it.
We sang a song in our church Christmas program. Think about these words. "Such a wonderful Savior to be born in a manger so that I can share His favor and my heart be made anew." Did you get that? Christ wasn't just born and that's the end of the story. He was born a very low birth. He is God who humbled himself to become one of us. He wasn't born in a home or hospital. He was born in a stable and laid in a manger! Is there any other time in history that that has happened? I'm sure there's women who have given birth in crazy places like cars but it wasn't like this. It also says He was born so I can share in His favor and my heart be made new!
Why was Christ born? So that He could die. Were we born to die? No! We were born to live. He was born for a very specific purpose. And He knew it too. I can't grasp that!
There is a lot more we could say about his birth and the miracles that surrounded it. But I just want to stay on that fact. Christ was born that lowly birth for us. For you. For me.
Here's another song we sang: "Start at the manger, at the Child in the hay, the gift of our Father in heaven, the price He would pay to save all His children, no matter the cost." No matter the cost! That baby lying in the manger in the hay was a gift to us. It should be our most precious gift because He would pay the price for us. Who? His CHILDREN! Isn't that amazing?!?
"Start at the manger where redemption began, when Jesus stepped down from His throne to die as a man." This just reiterates what I've been saying. He was born, stepping down from His heavenly throne, to DIE. He was born to grow up, only 33 years, to die.
I know some of us feel like that's what our life is about too. That we are born, we live, we die. But there is so much more behind all of this. Since Christ died for us, we can live forever. Not on this earth (Thankfully!!) but with Him in Heaven. God sent His son to be born in a manger so that He can die for our sins so that if we accept that simple (yet so complex and amazing!) gift, we can live with Him forever rather than the alternative.
Let me say that again.
God sent His SON to be born in a manger (not luxury) so that He can die for OUR sins (He had no sin of His own) so that if we ACCEPT the GIFT we can LIVE WITH HIM forever! He (God) came to earth so we (sinful people) could go to heaven!!
Are you completely amazed by this?!?
We had a special privilege on Sunday. It was Christmas and yet Sunday. What an honor to be together as a church family, not only celebrating his birth, but also His death on the cross. Or should I say it in reverse? Not only to worship Him for what He did on the cross, but also to remember His birth.
I'm finally getting it.
Yes, I'm glad all the Christmas stress is over and I'm ready to take down my trees and things. But I still am in awe over what Christ did for us. I'm amazed by His birth for us.
Yes, I would rather celebrate His birth is a simple way like we do for Easter. But it challenges me all the more to remember His birth all year and especially in the mist of Christmas chaos.
I'm still like Scrooge but I want to be like him when he says "I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year."
"All of our riches, we will count them as loss if we start at the manger, then go to the cross."


quotes from:
       The Night That Christ Was Born by Kirk Franklin
       Start at the Manger by Robert Sterling and Deborah Craig-Claar