Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

What makes Christmas Christmas for us? Singing carols? Christmas trees? Decorations? Lights? Presents? Special foods and treats? Hallmark Specials? Shopping? Credit card debt? Parties with family and friends? If we didn’t have any of those things, would it still be Christmas? I think so, because Christmas is something that transcends all our traditions. Christmas is about God’s favor. Some people think that if God favors us, we’re going to get all everything we think we deserve. God is like Santa Claus, and if we’re been good little boys and girls, we’ll get everything on our list. Other people think that if God favors us, we’re God’s favorites. We belong to an exclusive group, a chosen few who truly deserve God’s love. God’s favor is an expression of God’s unconditional, inclusive love for all of us, no matter what part of the world we live in or what our first language is, the belief system we’r...

Matthew 1:18-25 Any of the people from the story of the first Christmas, the wise mean, the shepherds and Mary could wonder, like Joseph, “Why me?” Why were gentiles, the wise men, given the privilege to be the first people to acknowledge Jesus as King? Why were the poor shepherds chosen to be the first invited to see the newborn Messiah? Why was Mary given the honor to give birth to God’s only Son?  Did Joseph ever ask, “Why me?”  Why not?  I think he was the right person to be Jesus’ stepfather. Maybe he’s the kind of person the world needs today. Have you ever set up a nativity scene? Hmm. Is this one a shepherd or is this Joseph. If we’re lucky, the shepherd is holding a lamb. Hint: Joseph is usually the one holding the lantern. Isn’t that how we think of him – just the guy in the background holding a lantern. He does get to lead the donkey. That’s an important job, isn’t it? God didn’t choose Joseph to be a bit player in the story of Chr...

Luke 1:26-38 "Who me?" When God "favors" us as God favored Mary, what is our reaction?   Do you remember the movie called Terminator with Arnold Schwarzeneggar?  Scwarzeneggar plays a cyborg assassin from the future who has come back to kill a single young woman, Sara Conner.  Why?  Sarah is going to have a child who will play an important part in the future.  Sara receives this news when a man suddenly appears out of a very bright light and announces that she's going to have a baby who will save mankind. Sarah's response:  "I can't even balance my checkbook.  I didn't ask for this 'honor,' and I don't want it." Who, me?  Why me?  Can't be! When Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that God had chosen her to give birth to the Savior of humanity, he said, "Greetings, favored one!  the Lord is with you....Don't be afraid, Mary for you have found favor with God, and now you will conceive in your w...

Luke 2:8-20 Watching and waiting ... That's something the wise men and the shepherds had in common.  The wise men were waiting and watching for signs and omens; the shepherds were waiting and watching for ... predators.  Shepherds were very observant, noticing things others would miss, because their lives and their livelihood depended on it.  You know what the first rule of shepherding is?  Keep your eyes open and on those sheep because:  (1) They tend to wander off and get themselves into trouble,  and (2) they will bite. If we, like the wise men and the shepherds are watching and waiting, we shouldn't be surprised to encounter God in the most unexpected places and in the most unexpected ways.  Just be prepared never to be the same again. Being a shepherd wasn't on the top ten list of professions in Israel.  First of all, you always smelled like wet sheep.  The pay wasn't that good, you were out in all kinds of weather, and you neve...

Isaiah 9:2,6 Matthew 2:1-12 During Advent, this year, we're going to experience the first Christmas through the stories of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds.  It may seem odd, but we're going to kick off this series with the Wise Men. Remember what it was like as a child waiting for Christmas to come? When my little sister, Paula, and I were children, we were given strict orders that we couldn't get out of bed on Christmas morning until we knew our mother had started breakfast.  Awake usually before dawn, we watched the sky lighten outside our window as we waited for signs that Mom was up.  When we heard cupboard doors opening and closing and smelled the bacon frying, we were up like a flash. As adults, we still spend a lot of time waiting in the weeks before Christmas, usually in lines or cruising up and down the streets and in parking lots looking for an empty parking space.  And when we do find one, doesn't it feel like it's a sign that God loves us and tha...