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Happy Birthday Jesus

Spending Christmas back with my family in New York is always an interesting experience after four years of college in Indiana and living the last 3 years in Kentucky.  Saying Merry Christmas is apparently taboo. Even telling sales clerks "Merry Christmas" you're bound to get a dry "Happy Holidays" in response.  And the act of Christmas shopping in general is a bit audacious in lieu of the real purpose of Christmas: to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Sure, historically He most likely wasn't born in December, but December 25th is the traditional day chosen by the Church universal to remember the occasion.  And how do we celebrate it?  By storming down old ladies to get Tickle-Me-Elmo's and training kids from the age of 1 to be materialistic and self centered. Now, this is clearly an overstatement, but I think most of you get the gist of my argument.  Christ has been lost from Christmas.  It's become about marketing and materialism.  And even for those who make it a time of family and fellowship, Christ is an afterthought; a backdrop to presents, decorations, and family photos.

Instead of throwing a birthday party with a bouncy bounce, a table full of presents addressed to "Jesus", and a chocolate cake, He left a throne, became human, and grew up to suffer a torturous death.  "He came to His own and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11).  So, in the midst of opening presents and family time, stop and reflect on this question: What gift are you giving Jesus this Christmas? After all, it's His birthday and He gave You His life.

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