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“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. . .and whatever other commandment there may be, [are] summed up in this one rule: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10 NIV)
This is the beginning of the Christmas season. This is a time when we believers celebrate the greatest act of love, the greatest gift ever given — ” The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. . .” (1 John 4:14) And what is the way that the Father asks us to illustrate that gift to the world? By loving our neighbor as ourselves.
As we decorate our homes and our yards, have we noticed the senior on our street who lives alone and has trouble even raking the leaves out of his or her yard? Would they maybe like some Christmas cookies, or a wreath for their door, or something Christmas-y for their table?
What about the single mom, struggling to make ends meet. She has no time or money for decorations and frills. Would she like a tree for her house, or some cookies for her and her kids?
There are several opportunities to show love this Christmas season. In every communitiy, the fire and police department have some sort of Toys for Tots program. The local food banks are always looking for help at this season. Rescue missions or Salvation army shelters have practical ideas.
If you are one of my Foothills readers, we will be distributing food boxes at Christmas. Pick up a card with a family name on December 7. Pray for that family. Involve your family. Make this a fun time of giving.
My prayers are with the family and friends of Jdimytai Damour, 34, of Queens, New York, who was trampled to death as he was opening the doors of a Long Island Wal-Mart on Friday morning.
I wonder if the people involved that morning, some who had been standing in line since 9p.m. Thanksgiving night, think that plasma TV or latest video game was worth it . . .
“. . .praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:37 NIV)
Turkey. Tons of food. Football. Family. A newspaper stuffed full of shopping ads and sales. A long weekend for many. If you are in retail, it’s the busiest weekend of the season. Black Friday. 4 a.m. store openings. Long lines. Rude customers. Carts overflowing with merchandise. Greed. Selfishness.
I’m old enough to remember when you had to make absolutely certain you had everything you needed for Thanksgiving before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, because the grocery stores, as well as just about every other business in town, closed early on Wednesday so that the employees could be home with their families on the holiday. If you needed cool whip or milk, the local 7-Eleven was your only option. People often brought goodies from home to the employees of the gas stations, 7-Eleven, and the few other businesses that had to stay open. The stores would open for business at the regular time on Friday, but Thursday was set aside for family (and football, of course).
Thanksgiving Eve service at church. Singing “We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing.” Taking a benevolence offering to go to a local charity. Dessert social afterward. Home to make preparations for the holiday.
I, for one, would love to see Thanksgiving return to the original intent of the holiday. The year was 1863. America was in the midst of Civil War. Troops were deployed and in harm’s way. Families were praying that their loved ones would be safe. Others were mourning the loss of loved ones. Some had jobs; some did not. The nation was holding together, but unsure of what the next year would bring (does any of this sound familiar?) The following is an excerpt from the original Thanksgiving proclamation:
“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.”
Let’s all take some time to be truly thankful. God has been very good to us.
2 Peter 1:3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT emphasis mine)
When I encounter a familiar passage, I try to read it again in a less familiar translation. When I do, it causes me to look at the passage with fresh eyes.
God has given me (past tense with present outcome) everything I need to live a godly life. That everything includes His power, His glory, His sacrifice, His promises — Him. A personal relationship with me. I’m not left alone. He knows my circumstances, my weaknesses, my hangups, my difficulties.
However, I don’t just get to sit back and “let it happen.” Because I know that I have Christ and His power, I must make every effort . . .it takes work. It takes decision. It takes planning.
But the outcome is wonderful. The outcome is not only purpose and missional living and outreach and discipleship — the outcome is relationship. With others. With believers. With Jesus.
And with Jesus, and His forever family, I have everything I need.
