did you forget something?

Note: PLEASE PRESS PLAY ABOVE!

Pastor gave a great sermon this morning reminding us about the reason for the season. It made me think about the many times I've been in the store...shopping during the holiday season..lists in hand and just occupied and then, without failure, i get this confused look on my face before i leave the register and take a look at how much i just spent. the cashier looks up at me and asks me, "are you forgetting something?" i usually reply by saying "no" but after hearing Pastor's sermon this year...i feel slight...shame. why is it every Christmas season we have to remind the kids...the adults..everybody exactly what the season is about? i felt like Pastor was asking..."hey, hey...are you forgetting something?"

Pastor summed up His sermon from Matthew 2 by reminding us that Christmas is about worship (which is really what we should do all the time) but to worship His coming through birth at Christmas time. It's all about the celebration of His works to come! It's a confirmation of another classic verse that says in two places Luke 12:34 and Matthew 6:21 - Where your treasures are, there your heart will be also. So the question is...where do our treasures lie? Where are our hearts?

It just made me think about..where are my treasures? It hasn't felt like Christmas since I was a kid. But Pastor continued that we've allowed the world's view of Christmas to take over the focus of what Christmas is which is CHRIST. We've removed that aspect to focus on giving and receiving gifts...which IS NOT bad but we've begun to idolize the whole concept that people are going in debt over it. THAT certainly isn't the way God wants it. children are making laundry lists of things they want and dont even have the foundatio nor the concept of what it is to give just as God gave His Son to us...hmmm THAT selfish spirit also is not the way God would want it for our children...

i wondered. does God think we live in a utopia? is He asking too much of us? but i've drawn the conclusion that He's only requesting the minimum similar to the tithe. It's only a portion of all that He's given to us. a PORTION. give me a little and i'll give you alot. it's like...He's ALWAYS working overtime for us. but then we make to feed our kids the whole Santa concept without really sharing the Christ story and feeding that into their spirits. i dont think it's bad to have christmas trees etc...i LOVE Christmas decorating but we give SANTA too much credit! Those whom are unbelievers or what have you...even believers...would like to feed their kids the concept of a man coming down their chimney, showing up once a year and giving all the kids in the world toys (unsupported by history and basically a fairytale) rather than the new first steps to the realization of a prophecy finally coming to past.

i believe that God, Pastor etc are asking of us is NOT to forget what this is all really about. don't forget the Truth. don't forget the reality of the situation. don't get lost in the world...so the song posted above has just really been in my spirit this whole week! and i finally tracked down who it belonged to via you tube today and really needed to share this song bc it's a ministry all it's own!

Song: Don't Forget The Baby - G. Mayes, NE & Nakitta Clegg-Foxx

sometimes i wonder how God can continue to love us in all of our ways but i remember that He said to forgive 70 times 70 and His love is endless to us...so take some time out of your laundry list of gifts to give to share with your children, a child, a family member and a neighbor the true reason for the season. you might forget 1 gift on your list just dont forget this one =)

happy holidays