The Cost of Christmas (Pt.1)

(Part 1 of 2)

“I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”-Luke 2:30-35

Simeon’s prophecy was one of wonder and one of worry. It describes how Jesus would be the light and glory of Israel, but it also describes the tumultuous life Jesus would live causing the rise and fall of many. Moreover, it describes the opposition that He would face and how the final events of Jesus’ life would pierce Mary’s soul. 

As I read this passage, I was reminded that there was a cost associated with Jesus’ coming. Of course, we all are well aware of the cost associated with Christmas. I was reading some statistics about what Christmas costs the average family and found out that the average family spends an average of $800 on gifts and 42 hours shopping and attending holiday get togethers. For the most part what Christmas costs us can be categorized into financial expenditures, time and energy. 

However, if Christmas looked more like Jesus, what would the cost be? That begs the question, what did it cost Jesus? 

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God,

he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God

and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”-Philippians 2:5-8

Coming to earth cost Jesus His comfort and privilege. Jesus gave up His divine privileges in heaven to put on flesh, come to live as a servant, and die a criminal’s death. He, literally, gave up everything that we are striving to attain to come down and take the penalty of our sin upon Himself. Jesus thrust Himself out of His comfort zone, knowing full well what it would cost Him. 

Christmas was never designed to be comfortable. Let’s be honest, we attempt to romanticize the events surrounding the nativity to feel as cozy and comfortable as possible. The harsh reality, however, is that His exodus from heaven to earth was not an easy journey. Yet, He chose still to come. I wonder how many of us would continue to celebrate Christmas, if it truly costs us our comfort? 

If that wasn’t enough, the cost of His coming to earth would also tax His reputation: 

“For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”-Matthew 11:18-19

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is mocked and opposed, primarily by religious leaders. He is accused of being a glutton and drunkard. He is called a friend of sinners and in Matthew 2:24 is accused of deriving His power to do miracles from Satan. 

This type of an attack would cripple many of us. We are so approval driven in our culture that this sort of abasement would have caused us to question our faith or, at the least, back away from it so as not to draw attention to ourselves. What if Christmas cost you your reputation? Would you still celebrate it?

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Finding Jesus at Christmas (Pt.2)

(Part 2)

“Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”-Luke 2:41-47

The crazy thing about this story is that Mary and Joseph didn’t realize that Jesus was missing at first, but when He didn’t show up they started searching for HIm. Isn’t that so like us? We don’t realize Jesus is missing from our lives until He doesn’t show up when we expect Him?

Why do we never stop to take inventory until it becomes obvious that something is missing? When is the last time that you stopped to take inventory to see if Jesus is with you? Is He present in your prayer time? Is He present in your bible study? Is He present in your worship? Or are you just assuming that He is?

I am not saying that by losing sight of Jesus that you’ve lost your salvation. Pastor Adrian Rogers once said: “You can be in a relationship with Jesus without being in fellowship with Jesus.” Joseph and Mary remained in relationship with Jesus although they had lost sight of Him, but the fellowship between them had certainly been broken.

God sent Jesus to save us and bring us into a right relationship with Him through Christ, however we can distance ourselves from Christ when we take that relationship for granted and assume that He is with us by discounting His mission to pursue our desires.

When they realize He was missing, they looked among their family and friends, but when they could not locate Him they had to go back. Where you ask? They had been to Jerusalem and at the Temple to present their Passover offering. They found Him right where they left Him. He wasn’t hiding. He was on mission. Busy about His Father’s business.

God isn’t hiding from you! You haven’t lost the spirit of Christ. He is right where you left Him. Where did you leave Him? Some of you would find Him if you simply revisited your prayer closet, opened up your Bible, made the house of God a priority, forgave a loved one that hurt you, demonstrated some generosity, thought of another person before yourself, or by volunteering to serve others.

If you wan to recapture the spirit of Christ, you just need to go back to where you left Him.

Have you lost sight of Jesus this Christmas? Perhaps you have never began a relationship with Christ, but today you’d like to do so. Maybe, you’ve simply lost sight of Him and today you are burdened to recapture the spirit of Christ. Take a moment to pray this with me.

Father, Thank you for you Son, Jesus. I am so grateful that you sent Your one and only Son into this world to save us. I know that I don’t deserve salvation, but I am thankful that you loved me enough to send Jesus to die for my sins. Today, I repent of my sins and ask your forgiveness. I receive the gift of eternal life that comes through Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died for me and that He was raised from the dead three days later that I may have eternal life. Lord, help to to live a life that honors you and thank you for helping me to discover that Jesus is the true meaning of Christmas. Amen.

Finding Jesus at Christmas (Pt.1)

Finding Jesus at Christmas
(Part 1)

“Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”-Luke 2:41-47

I don’t know if Luke 2:41-47 would be considered a traditional Christmas passage, but there are some interesting parallels that can be found in it that have a lot a great application to our current holiday season.

In this passage we read how Mary and Jospeh lost sight of Jesus during an important “Holy Day” celebration. The phrase Holy Day is where we derive the word holiday. The Passover was a feast celebrated in Israel that commemorated the historical moment at which God delivered Israel out of Egyptian bondage. However, according to Colossians 2:16-17, the feast foreshadowed much more than that:

“So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.”

The feast foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ, Himself! So, how do you lose Jesus in the midst of a Holy Day centered around His coming? Joseph and Mary got so caught up in all the traditions and family business, Jesus slipped away unnoticed. Which got me thinking that if Mary and Joseph could lose sight of Jesus during the holidays; it isn’t too far fetched to believe that we might lose sight of Him too.

How do we know if we are losing sight of Christ at Christmas? Well, if you can stand two hours in a line to see Santa, but complain if the church service runs over an hour long; you might have lost sight of Christ. If you can spend three hours shopping online for the perfects gifts, but don’t have time to read a chapter of Luke each day to remind yourself of Christ’s work; you might have lost sight of Christ. If your Nativity set is buried in the corner of your home, but you’ve posted 50 pictures online of your Elf on the shelf for the whole world to see; you might have lost sight of Christ. If you spend more money on Christmas this year than you’ve given to missions the past ten years combined, you might have lost sight of Christmas.

If someone walked into you home, would they know Jesus is the center of your celebration?
The problem started for Mary and Joseph when they assumed that Jesus was still with them. How many of us have fallen into that trap? Not just at Christmas, but all year long. We get so caught up in our life pursuits that we fail to recognize that Jesus has a mission that He came to fulfill. Jesus was on a mission here in Luke 2. He had to be in His Father’s house. Joseph and Mary assumed that Jesus’ only mission was to follow them around.

Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church

The grief that stole Christmas (Pt.2)

Part 2

“He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.  But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”-John 1:10-14

This time of year is a struggle for so many that are walking through grief, depression, anxiety, and overwhelming loss. As they navigate their own personal time of darkness they find it hard to balance the joy of Christmas with the reality of their pain. To make matters worse, the holidays seem to magnify that loss.

Perhaps what you are walking through isn’t even a recent occurrence in your life and you feel as though the world has already forgotten the pain you experienced, but it is just as real to you today as it was then. However, God has not forgotten you:

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”-Psalm 46:1

He is a very present God in the midst of our suffering. In fact Psalm 34:18 tells us:

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

God has not forgotten you, especially this time of year. It is precisely why He sent Jesus. Christmas, actually, is an important reminder to the grieving, not of who is missing; but who is with us. Emmanuel-God with us!

In fact, Jesus didn’t come to magnify our pain, but He came in response to it. In response to our pain and hurt, Christ came and walked through pain and hurt with us; all the way to the cross. He experienced what we are experiencing so that He could comfort us in our times of tragedy. He came to bring balance to our sense of loss by sharing with us His very real and comforting presence.

The book of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything: a time to mourn and a time to dance. You have permission to do both. It is acceptable to grieve. However, is also acceptable to rejoice in the midst of your grieving. You are not taking anything away from the memory of your loved one, nor should you feel guilty because you are choosing to receive the hope, joy, and comfort that He came to give us.

Yes, Christmas is about peace, comfort, joy and hope. Those are the things that He brought with Him into the weary and broken world into which He was born. When Jesus left heaven, He didn’t bring with Him what He needed; instead He brought what He knew we would need to comfort us in the midst of our hurt and pain.
They are the same things that He is looking to bring into your life today. Not joy in the place of suffering, but joy in the face of it. Not the absence of adversity, but the comfort of His presence in the midst our situations. When faced with our deepest hurt, He sent Jesus to comfort us.  The grief that you are feeling is very real, that is why Jesus came; He came to comfort you in your time of loss.


Pastor Scott Burr
Dayspring Community Church