Jesus said "...if I be lifted up I'll draw all men unto me..."
http://www.unheardwordz.com/2011/12/new-christmas-star-dr-rick-farmer-vs-x.html#!/2011/12/new-christmas-star-dr-rick-farmer-vs-x.html
In my lifetime Christmas has changed so much. I can remember a time when Christmas Eve as about family, and candlelight celebrations, and midnight communion services, and most of all about the birth of the Christ Child under a star in Bethlehem. Christmas today has become something quite different. We plan and work all year so we can make enough money to buy stuff we don't need for people who have everything. This new Christmas theme has become so dominant that the gospel is baptized into a capitalistic worldview to such an extent that churches are beginning to turn Christmas Eve itself into a celebration of "stuff". I just got in the mail an invitation to a Christmas Eve celebration with incentive - If I do not belong to their church (I am supposing membership in another church qualifies me) I can come to their Christmas Eve service and have a chance to win a50 inch Big Screen TV, an X box 360, an I Pad 2, a digital camera, water park trips and over nights to Sight and Sound, and more. I am beginning to wonder who was born on Christmas Day, was it Santa or was it Jesus? I cannot imagine what justifies this type of Christmas celebration in the eyes of some. One thing I do know for sure, (and this is just me) - this is the last place I would go to celebrate the Birth of our Savior on Christmas Eve. I can imagine that Jesus is somewhere shaking his head wondering what we have become, his heart broken that His birth day has become just another opportunity to attract people to the gospel of capitalism, while we pretend that what we live for has anything to do with the message He teaches us to live - "Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself". In our world today, Love has been replaced with stuff, discipleship has been replaced with capitalistic promises, and Christmas Eve has now been traded in for a chance to win a Big Screen TV, while I light candles in honor of a Babe born in a Cave who has no more place in our lives crowded with "stuff" than he did in the world he entered some 2,000 years ago. Not a lot has changed since then. In Jesus day it was "no room in the Inn". In our day Jesus is not enough to draw us to the sanctuary, unless, that is, one comes in search of the god of abundance and prosperity that is at the center of our preoccupations and attention. Missed the ticket on black friday, never fear, that item you need is waiting for you on Christmas Eve at a church down the street. Imagine that, the answer for us all is found, captured on our new a digatal camera. Only, Jesus would never fit on our big screen tv, has not a single hit on his Face Book (since he forgot to sign up), and never once confused luxury with charity. (Can you imagine all the charity that might have been done in Christ's name with the money it takes to buy the prizes listed above?) Guess the world has not really changed all that much. We still feel we have to wrap the gospel with gold, and keep Jesus as an ornament on our tree, as we all reach for the "stuff" underneath, even at our candlelight services we claim honor him - The Babe born in a Cave in Bethlehem. Though he had no place to lay his head, He still wants you to have a Big Screen TV, if only you will come and worship Him this Christmas Eve. I find that people are so confused about what this season is really all about when I see people actually bowing down to the gods of affluence and abundance, just to get someone to hear the greatest story ever told. Pastor Rick
http://www.unheardwordz.com/2011/12/new-christmas-star-dr-rick-farmer-vs-x.html#!/2011/12/new-christmas-star-dr-rick-farmer-vs-x.html
In my lifetime Christmas has changed so much. I can remember a time when Christmas Eve as about family, and candlelight celebrations, and midnight communion services, and most of all about the birth of the Christ Child under a star in Bethlehem. Christmas today has become something quite different. We plan and work all year so we can make enough money to buy stuff we don't need for people who have everything. This new Christmas theme has become so dominant that the gospel is baptized into a capitalistic worldview to such an extent that churches are beginning to turn Christmas Eve itself into a celebration of "stuff". I just got in the mail an invitation to a Christmas Eve celebration with incentive - If I do not belong to their church (I am supposing membership in another church qualifies me) I can come to their Christmas Eve service and have a chance to win a50 inch Big Screen TV, an X box 360, an I Pad 2, a digital camera, water park trips and over nights to Sight and Sound, and more. I am beginning to wonder who was born on Christmas Day, was it Santa or was it Jesus? I cannot imagine what justifies this type of Christmas celebration in the eyes of some. One thing I do know for sure, (and this is just me) - this is the last place I would go to celebrate the Birth of our Savior on Christmas Eve. I can imagine that Jesus is somewhere shaking his head wondering what we have become, his heart broken that His birth day has become just another opportunity to attract people to the gospel of capitalism, while we pretend that what we live for has anything to do with the message He teaches us to live - "Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself". In our world today, Love has been replaced with stuff, discipleship has been replaced with capitalistic promises, and Christmas Eve has now been traded in for a chance to win a Big Screen TV, while I light candles in honor of a Babe born in a Cave who has no more place in our lives crowded with "stuff" than he did in the world he entered some 2,000 years ago. Not a lot has changed since then. In Jesus day it was "no room in the Inn". In our day Jesus is not enough to draw us to the sanctuary, unless, that is, one comes in search of the god of abundance and prosperity that is at the center of our preoccupations and attention. Missed the ticket on black friday, never fear, that item you need is waiting for you on Christmas Eve at a church down the street. Imagine that, the answer for us all is found, captured on our new a digatal camera. Only, Jesus would never fit on our big screen tv, has not a single hit on his Face Book (since he forgot to sign up), and never once confused luxury with charity. (Can you imagine all the charity that might have been done in Christ's name with the money it takes to buy the prizes listed above?) Guess the world has not really changed all that much. We still feel we have to wrap the gospel with gold, and keep Jesus as an ornament on our tree, as we all reach for the "stuff" underneath, even at our candlelight services we claim honor him - The Babe born in a Cave in Bethlehem. Though he had no place to lay his head, He still wants you to have a Big Screen TV, if only you will come and worship Him this Christmas Eve. I find that people are so confused about what this season is really all about when I see people actually bowing down to the gods of affluence and abundance, just to get someone to hear the greatest story ever told. Pastor Rick
Written on Monday, 19 December 2011 12:03 by Rick Farmer
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