Every year across the United States and across the world people will put up Christmas Trees and decorate them for the holiday season. What is that all about?

Well, it is no secret that evergreen trees have always held a special place in the minds of people. Of all the trees, they are not affected by the fall and winter. They stand green when the world has turned cold and dark. They are a symbol of life in even the worst of times. It is believed that many ancient religions had a place for the evergreen tree in their worship symbols.

Somewhere along the way people of faith connected this practice of using evergreen trees in their religious observances to Christmas. As Christians began to celebrate the birth of Christ, they attached it to the days when winter was at its peak. The days are dark, but light is starting the process of winning over the hours. From the end of December until the middle of summer the daylight hours are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. As the celebration of Christmas found its roots at this time of year, the evergreen tree also stood tall as a bastion against cold darkness of winter and of life.

No one knows for sure who was the first person to bring a tree into their house at this time of year. Several places and people take credit for it, but everything is mere speculation. The most famous story says that it was Martin Luther, that great religious reformer, who brought the Christmas tree into the Church in the 1500’s. As the story goes one night, he was walking home and saw the stars shining through the trees, and he went and added candles to his tree as the first decoration. History tells us that he used a passage in the Bible to support this action. Isaiah 60:13 (NIV) “The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the pine, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place of my feet.”

Once the tree made its way into the decorations to celebrate the birth of Christ, it slowly spread across the globe. It moved from Germany and then across Europe. By the mid-1800’s the practice was being endorsed by the royal family in Britain. Eventually, it became an accepted practice in the United States, but it was slowly accepted by everyone. Now trees are one of the most popular Christmas decorations and symbolize the beginning of the holiday season in many locations.

For believers, the Christmas tree was to be a reminder of life through even our darkest hours. It points us to Jesus as the eternal form of light and life in the world and reminds us that he came one dark night to Bethlehem. Christmas does not bring us to a place where we worship a tree, rather the tree is to point us to an eternally existent God who is not subject to our ever-changing struggles in the world. He is light, and he is life, and it is him that we worship this Christmas season.

Many years ago, Rick Warren wrote a book called The Purpose Driven Church. He followed it up with his enormously popular book The Purpose Driven Life. In each of those books, he introduced his readers to the idea of living and doing Church with a purpose. He wanted each follower of Christ and each Church to be driven to do all the things God desires.

He stated that his study leads him to believe we each have 5 Purposes:

1. Worship
2. Fellowship
3. Discipleship
4. Ministry
5. Evangelism

I have read the Bible and done my share of study, and I think that is a great list. I really have no idea what anyone could add. Each of us is designed to love God, connect with other believers, grow in our faith, serve other people and share the message of God’s grace.

The problem is that most of the people I know, including myself, tend to focus on two of these areas.

First, we have our primary strength. Some of us love to play music and sing. Others of us prefer to visit and connect with other believers, and still, others love to read and learn more about the ways of God.

Second, we each have a secondary area of interest. We might want to read and study, but we also like teaching what we are learning. We may love to worship and sing, but we like to involve other people into the place we serve.

I would encourage everyone to spend some time thinking about how God has gifted you and where you really are designed to fit.

Also, this means there are three areas we tend to neglect. For example, I love to learn and to teach, but I am not very good at connecting to other people. I like worship, but I get tired of singing. I enjoy sharing my faith, but it does not come naturally to me.

If this is all correct, and I believe it is, then let me give you two important thoughts.

1. Be sure not to completely ignore your areas of weakness. I am not telling you that need to become an expert in things you do not care much about. I am telling you that each of us should desire to be a total follower of Christ, not lacking in anything. Once you know your strengths, you will also know your weaknesses. Be sure to plan some time working on those weaker areas and developing fully as God desires for each one of us.

2. Don’t judge people for not being like you. Just because I do not get excited about worship does not mean I am inferior Christian. God just wired me up differently than you. You may not be a person who likes to read and study, and that does not make you less of a Christian than I am. We each are unique in our heart and gifts. No one is greater than another.

Together the Church is a picture of a complex body. We each have different parts for the overall good of everyone. I encourage all believers to discover their strengths and weaknesses so that we might be a Church and believers who are completely whole.

There I said it.

I don’t mean that I am tired of Christmas this year. I mean, as a Christian and as a pastor, I am tired of the Christmas story. I am now 44 years old. I have been a Christian for 36 years of that time. I have been a preacher for the last 23 years of this time too. Every year I have had to listen to 3-4 sermons about the Christmas story or more. Many years I have had to preach those sermons. Couple that with all the Sunday School lessons, youth lessons, special programs and candlelight programs it makes a whole lot of Christmas.

Before you label me as a Scrooge, please hear me out. There is not a lot in the Bible about the birth of Jesus. It comes down to several stories in the books of Matthew (chapters 1-2) and Luke (chapters 1-3). Mark has nothing. John has a couple of veiled references. The rest of the Bible contains a handful of prophecies and a couple of passing references. There is very little information on the pages of scripture.

On top of that, nowhere are we instructed to observe the birth of Jesus. We are told to remember his death and resurrection but nothing on the birth. The celebration of his birth is added to the list of holidays much later in history. It has more secular roots than religious.

And yet, every year Christians and the Church spend the weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas talking about the birth of Jesus. In religious circles, it is called “Advent.” The word is defined as the arrival of a notable person. This is the season we celebrate the arrival of Jesus as a human being into the world he created.

I would argue that most of us know the scriptural stories of Christmas far more than any other part of the Bible. We know all about angels, shepherds, wise men and the birth of a baby in a stable. Mary and Joseph are some of the most well-known Bible characters. In fact, when I talk about Joseph in the book of Genesis I refer to him as “Joseph, not the one of the Christmas story.”

With all of that said, I am tired of Christmas.

I do not mean that I am not thankful for Christmas. I am thankful that God sent his son to this earth. Recently I reread a passage that struck me. 1 John 3:8 (NIV) ends with this statement “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” I am thankful that God sent his son to do battle with the forces of evil and secure a victory for my soul.

I like that image so much that I am thinking about preaching a Christmas series on “Jesus the Destroyer” one year. None of the traditional characters of the story – just Jesus, Satan, a cross and a bloody battle. The children may or may not like it. Parents will be frustrated and maybe frightened. But I bet no one will be bored.

Anyone with me?

The people who follow Jesus cling to the belief that he was perfect. The Bible affirms that truth in Hebrews 4:15 where Jesus is described as just like us, yet without sin. He was like us and yet remained perfect.

I believe that means he did everything correctly. I mean everything. His relationship with God was perfect. He prayed the right amount, read his Bible the right amount, served the right amount and gave the right amount. It also means he handled other people perfectly. He said the right words. He handled every situation without rage or unrighteous anger. He loved his neighbor and his enemy. He did not judge in an ungodly way. In every situation involving other people, he demonstrated what God would like us to do at that moment. In fact, many believers have asked themselves, “What did Jesus do that I can learn from?” It is one of the cornerstones of all preaching and teaching on the life of Jesus.

This is where it all takes a turn for me. If Jesus did everything God desired in his life, then people should have loved him and treated him with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, that is clearly not the case. Yes, some people loved him, but the majority hated him. They spent large amounts of time trying to catch him in a mistake. When that did not work, they made a plan to kill him. Before they executed him based on lies they made sure he felt the maximum amount of pain. He was beaten, flogged, spat upon, mocked, humiliated and tortured because the people he offended wanted him to suffer. Jesus life of love ends with an ugly death on a cross.

I tell you this because I am so often driven by the desire to have people like me. Somehow I came to the belief that if I did the thing God desired in every situation, then people will never be offended by my actions. Everyone will love me and respect me and treat me with kindness if I just act like Jesus. Then I have to remind myself, oh yeah, that is not how it worked for Jesus. Doing the right thing, saying the right thing and being in line with what God wants us to do is usually a recipe for more pain and humiliation. Frequently it creates more enemies than friends.

I find what I call a “backhanded” comfort in the life of Jesus. The obvious application is found in what he taught and how he lived. I can learn directly from those passages of the Bible. Also, I learn indirectly from the way people responded to Jesus. Many times it was not what I would expect or want. And yet, that is exactly the model of life Jesus left for us to follow. Maybe the best indicator of if we are truly following Jesus is not how many people love us, but rather how many hate us.

Today I take comfort in the fact that people hated Jesus and why would we expect any less?

Most people are not familiar with the word Ebenezer in the Bible. This time of year our thoughts might go to Ebenezer Scrooge and the story of A Christmas Carol. Beyond that, we have no idea what it means.

I think of this word every time we sing the song “Come Thou Fount.” The second verse starts with a line that says “Here I raise my Ebenezer.” I have sung it many times, and it is possible that you have too, but what in the world does it mean?

The primary story still comes from 1 Samuel chapter 7. The people of Israel had spent twenty years trying to live without God. They had given themselves over to idols and neglecting the God of their fathers. In turn, God had allowed the Philistines to conquer and rule over the people of God. By chapter 7 the people come to Samuel and seek the Lord’s guidance for the first time in years. Samuel instructs them to get rid of their idols and rally together to fight the Philistines. Apparently, the people do as instructed, and God is pleased with them. The result is that God confuses the Philistines and the Israelite army pushes the Philistines out of their land.

Then in the middle of this story, there is a pause, and it says in 1 Samuel 7:12 (NIV) “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far has the Lord helped us.’”

Samuel sets up a rock and calls it Ebenezer. First, I think that is weird. It’s like, “This is Samuel and his pet rock Ebenezer.” Second, it is not that weird when you understand what is going on in the story. The name Ebenezer means “The stone of help.” Samuel sets up this stone as a memorial to the work of the Lord. He calls attention to the fact that it was God who led them out of captivity and to victory over their enemies. Samuel wanted a visual reminder that God was their ultimate helper. He wanted people to walk by that stone and be reminded of the work of the Lord.

I can only assume that the writer of the hymn “Come Thou Fount” recognized the work of the Lord in their life. Then he added this one obscure Biblical reference driving the point home. He wrote that he was going to raise his own Ebenezer stone to remind him of God’s work of blessing in his life.

I have often wondered if I should do the same thing in my life. Whenever I receive an enormous blessing that I know is clearly from God, I stop and set up a little monument to his achievement. That way when I walk across my property, I am reminded of the goodness of God in my life. Oh yeah, he blessed me that day and that day and that day and that day and on and on.

Maybe it is a gift from God that every holiday season I am reminded of the word Ebenezer because of the story of A Christmas Carol. It is a simple nudging that in a time of asking for more and more that I have been blessed abundantly by God already.

Today I raise my Ebenezer. Would you join me?

Every year brings the usual question of, “What do I get them for Christmas?” The question doesn’t change if you are a Christian or a Non-Christian. We live at a time where very few people really need the things we used to get for Christmas. So what are some of the good Christmas gifts we can give that people desperately want?

1. Your Undivided Attention. I honestly believe this is the greatest gift we can give anyone in 2016. Take your spouse out to eat. Take your kids to a park. Stop and visit with an old friend. Before you do those activities take a minute and shut your phone off. That’s right, off. Don’t silence it and still feel the buzz of other people trying to break into your time. An hour or two of undistracted time is a great gift.

2. A Handwritten Letter. (Okay, if your penmanship is terrible, use a computer). This could come in a Christmas card, but space is limited. Take the time to put your thoughts into a long letter and don’t make it a form letter. In a world of one line texts take the time to express yourself deeply. This is a great gift for people who live far away from you.

3. Service. I am sure you know someone who could use a helping hand. Maybe that means watching their kids so they can go Christmas shopping without charging them. Maybe that means you help a young mother get her house clean. This may be very labor intensive, or it might be a hand to someone who is failing. Help someone out.

4. Take a Child for Something. Obviously, you need the parents’ permission. Once you have secured the opportunity, you can do almost anything. You can take the kid anywhere and show them your world. As a parent, I have limited resources and knowledge, and I would love for people to expand my children’s world through their life. Show them how to do something, teach them a skill, play a game with them, take them somewhere and give them an opportunity they would never have otherwise.

5. Enter My World. I know I have a lot of passions and interests. I love, love to talk about what interests me. I think this is true for most people. Some people are passionate about sports, others about racing, others about cooking and the list goes on and on. These are easy to spot when you mention a topic and the other person lights up and quickly beings to talk. Who wouldn’t love an hour of sharing their greatest passion with someone who truly acts interested?

6. Make a Memory. Most people have little need of anything. They do long for connection. Having an experience together can be one of the greatest gifts in the world. Go to a game, watch a movie together or do anything you enjoy. Please remember number 1 if possible.

The great thing about these gifts is that they are free. Well, free is a tricky word. They will cost you time and for most of us, our time is more valuable than money. I think that is what makes these great gifts.

Jesus was once questioned about the resurrection of the dead. The question is specifically about the topic of marriage at the resurrection. The group of people who asked the question are a curious group. They are called the Sadducees. This group did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, so that means they are simply trying to trap Jesus in his words.

The Sadducees ask Jesus about a hypothetical woman who is married and her husband dies. Since they had no children, his brother is to marry her and try to keep the family name alive through a child. The poor lady has this same thing happen to her seven times. Each and every sibling in the family marries this cursed woman and each one dies. So in the resurrection of the dead whose wife will she be since she was married to seven different men?

Jesus gives the most interesting response to this question. In Matthew 22:29 (NIV) it says “Jesus replied, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.’”

Say what Jesus?

Could he not give them one straight answer? Just say a number between one and seven and this issue will be settled.

Instead, Jesus points them to an important detail about their question. They had not understood what the scriptures said about marriage and the afterlife. They also did not understand how God worked. They had arrived at conclusions about people and issues without an adequate knowledge of the Bible, or the nature of God revealed in his word.

This is the trap of all generations.

There is a possibility that the questions you have about God and faith are right there in your Bible and yet you never look. The answers you find there might surprise you. They may not be the easiest or most natural answer.

To this question, Jesus says that they missed the fact that there will be no marriage in the resurrection. Then he goes a step further and says that those who have died are still living in the afterlife. God is not the God of the dead but the living.

What he says astonishes the crowds gathered that day. The Sadducees leave, and the quiet sound of deep thinking filled the air.

It sounds like the most basic Sunday School answer to longtime believers, but it still the best one. Read your Bible. Read it again and again. Study it. Think about it. Bring it into your life both morning and night. Spend time in God’s word.

The answer to most of the questions in life is found within the pages of scripture. When we mess up, it is often because we do not know the scriptures or the power of God.
Easy answer. Simple application

I understand that many people don’t enjoy their job. I especially know this is true on a Friday like today. We drudge through the day with all the excitement of getting a root canal.

What if you thought about your job differently? What if you did not just work for a dollar but something more? What if you considered your work a ministry for God?

Is it possible that God has placed you in a unique position to use your personal gifts and abilities? What if you viewed your coworkers as people needing God’s grace? What if you opened your eyes to a world of potential around you to share the love of Christ?

I think that too often we miss the opportunities to serve the Lord in our daily experiences.

How would your day be different if you took every encounter as a chance to share the goodness of God to those around?

The Bible uses several images to describe the act of disobeying God. It is like an archer missing the bullseye. It is like a person crossing over a boundary that they should not cross. It is like a thief waiting to steal, kill and destroy. Sin is ugly and leaves a path of destruction in its wake.

While it is not found in the Bible, I still think a fitting image for sin is cancer. Cancer starts with a few bad cells joining together. It grows inside of us. It consumes and kills us if we ignore it. Cancer destroys people, family, and friends. There is no one exempt from the effects of cancer in our world.

The way we deal with cancer is equally difficult. When you are found to have it, you are required to have surgery, radiation, chemo and sometimes a combination of these treatments. The cells and the tumor they have formed must be eradicated. You cannot ignore cancer, and it will magically go away. I had a man in the Church who was older and didn’t want to receive the treatment. He read online about a diet that could help and so he quit smoking and took up a strict diet and exercise plan. Quickly cancer took over, and his life ended sooner than expected. Cancer cannot be ignored.

I think the analogy of cancer as sin is totally fitting. Sin like cancer destroys people. Also, sin like cancer must be treated.

I think both of these truths are completely obvious. I think most people are aware of the devastating effects of sin. The hard part is dealing with it. How do we show a person love while asking them to change their ways? How do we love the sinner and hate the sin?

For some people, the answer has simply been to accept the sin and not ask people to change. Like a doctor telling you that you have cancer and then ignoring it.

Others have stood again firmly against sin and ignored the person involved in the struggle. To me, that is like a doctor giving an aggressive treatment without ever talking to the patient.

This is the great tension of the Christian life. How to de love people as God wants them loved while hating sin as much as God hates sin?

I don’t have a wonderful three-part solution that fixes this issue. Through the years I have developed more concern over how we handle this one issue than any other. And yet I have developed few answers.

One thing I am sure will not help is saying, “Do not judge.” Another thing that will not help is shouting in an angry tone, “You are going to hell.”

Maybe the Christian life is meant to be lived with this difficult question? Maybe we are called to live without becoming too soft or too calloused? My hope is that each and every believer would wrestle with this issue with grit and grace. Cancer cannot be ignored, and neither can sin.

Most people are not happy. They recognize in their quiet hours that they are longing for something more in their life. They think that maybe something different from what they are experiencing now is the answer to their longing. This feeling drives people to act in a multitude of ways.

We do it as individuals –

Maybe if we exercise and lose weight, we will feel better about ourselves?
Maybe if we dressed differently or look better that will change the way we feel?
Maybe if we had more money or used what we have more wisely we will feel fulfilled?
Maybe if we changed jobs or moved or did something to shake up our lives, our feelings would change to something better?

We do it as groups –

Maybe if we back the right politician or political party, they will bring about the change we want and finally we will be happy?
Maybe if we protest and let our voice be heard that will bring about a change for the better?
Maybe if we join up with our neighbors, school and community we can make a change that will make a real and lasting impact?

And yet with all of this talk of change I find very few people who are really happy even after the changes are made. People are still hungry for more change. People are empty and confused because they made the change and are still unhappy.

What if the change we are looking for is more spiritual that we want to believe? What if there is a longing in the human soul for something better that only God can fill? What if true satisfaction can only be found in Christ and his community?

I believe true, meaningful change only happens when we surrender all of our lives to Christ. We experience something new and different when we live for him. It’s hard to explain until you have experienced it for yourself, but I would ask you to consider the possibility that your life will never be fulfilling, no matter what you change, until you come to Jesus.

Then we can lock arms with other people who have come to Jesus and make a real difference in the world. Lives will be changed in powerful ways that bring satisfaction and together we can make our world a better place.

I know many of you don’t believe me, and in one month on January first you will be thinking about the new year and all the changes you need to make next year. You will believe next year will be better. It is the same thing you have thought every year for as long as you can remember. What if this time you made a different type of change?