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THE ‘X’ IN CHRISTMAS!At Christmas we will see cards with the greeting ‘Happy Xmas!’ As Christians most of us think that it is wrong to call Christmas ‘Xmas’. We see the danger that Christmas could become separated from the birthday of Jesus Christ. But let’s think about it in a different way: When I receive a letter with a row of Xs at the bottom, it tells me that the sender loves me very much. Therefore, perhaps we should think about the fact that when we see Christmas written ‘Xmas’, it can remind us that God loves us so much that he sent his Son to show us how special we are to Him. So let’s imagine Xmas starts with a big Kiss to remind us of God’s great love. And of course an X is also a cross and Jesus’ love took him all the way from the stable to the Cross. In 1 John 4: 9 the bible tells us: ‘God’s love for us was revealed when God sent his only Son into the world so that we could have life through Him’. Christmas is all about the Love of God reaching out to us sinful human beings, in a fresh and powerful way, through the birth of Jesus Christ. The question we must all face is how do we respond to this love from God? Do we receive it and worship and serve Him, or do we live our lives independent of Him? This year ask yourself the question: WILL YOU IMITATE HIS LOVE?Christ came to be an example and trainer for his followers and in Philippians 2 we are called to have the same attitude and love as Christ: ‘Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!' At the Mandate conference at the end of November 2003, the speaker challenged the 2,000 men present to love others in five specific ways — unconditionally, impartially, sacrificially sincerely and tangibly. To truly love is costly, it hurts, it demands something from us, but above all it’s worth it, for to not love is to not truly live — Jesus came that we might have life in all it’s fullness (John 10: 10). So this year: WILL YOU PUT THE ‘X’ INTO CHRISTMAS?There are of course many kinds of ‘Xs’ we may think of in the run up to Christmas — expenditure, excess, expectation, excitement, excuses, exhaustion, extravagance.., and when things go wrong, explosive relationships. This may sum up the kind of Christmas many will have this year. However the birth of Jesus Christ, speaks to us of God’s great love for us. Love greater than we can imagine God humbling himself to be born in a stable that we might receive Him, and receiving Him, be born again of God. (John 1: 13) This Christmas pray that you will experience God’s Love for you and seek to put the ‘X’ of God’s love into Christmas. The scriptures are plain speaking in this matter for we read, ‘By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’ (John 13: 35). Friends may I wish you God’s love at Christmas and throughout 2004. |
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