misassumption about Christmas

The messages I am delivering tomorrow at Cross Community Church are based on my recent recovery from a big misassumption that I’ve been making about Christmas.  I kind of assumed all along that love was at the core of most people people’s celebration. The gifts, the travel, the decoration – seemed to me that, if people are going to go through all of that trouble, there must be strong feelings of love for others. Turns out, at least in some cases, I was wrong.

Now I understand that, for many people, love is the missing element in Christmas. This explains a lot of “anti-Christmas” behavior. It also explains why so many people just can’t “get there” when it comes to celebrating.

Without love, Christmas is nothing more than a pressure-packed, stress-filled season of over spending, and under-enjoying! It’s not that people are full of hate.  The absence of love is not hatred, it is emptiness. So bless their hearts, people are empty. And they go through the motions of Christmas.

This revelation leaves us with the responsibility to: 1. understand love and, 2. share love. But we have to make love tangible. It’s not enough to feel the Christmas love. The only one who benefits when you just feel the love is you. You’ve got to show the Christmas love.

So what are you going to do to show some love at Christmastime?

If you want to change someone’s Christmas – give them love as a gift.

Join us tomorrow for worship. If you can make it, check out the message online on Sunday afternoon.