CHRIST Mass 2019

CHRIST’s Mass 2019

Yesterday while sitting in the lobby of a doctor’s office Charlene mentioned that it did not feel like Christmas and we talked a moment about how worldly Christmas has become. Then HOLY SPIRIT prompted this thought, “We do not celebrate CHRIST’s birth as we celebrate our own.” So I thought about that for a moment then commented to Charlene that “We don’t celebrate CHRIST’s birth like we celebrate our birthday, we celebrate CHRIST as a baby but we celebrate our own birthday as we are now.”

We focus our celebration of CHRIST’s birth all about the baby and that He is GOD the Father’s free gift to humanity for salvation. There is some mention that His birth was just the beginning of His work of salvation but most of the emphasis is on His virgin conception, birth in a stable and the visit of the Magi.

When we celebrate CHRIST’s death and resurrection (Easter) while we talk about His arrest, trial and crucifixion we mostly (and rightly so) focus on His resurrection, commission and ascension. There is much teaching about Pentecost and the sealing of our salvation by GOD’s HOLY SPIRIT being given to those who believe.

We celebrate human births each year just as we celebrate CHRIST’s birth, the difference is that we celebrate a person’s birth by celebrating them as they are at that time in their life. There may be some remembrance of their actual birth events, humorous remembrances of past events but most of the celebration is about the person now.

This is how we should celebrate Christmas and Easter, we remember the details about His birth and death but the reason should be the focus of why He was virgin born and crucified! The main focus should be on the fact that He (the Gift of GOD to all humanity) is not a baby, is not on the cross or in the grave, but that He is seated at the right hand of GOD almighty and that He has already sent His SPIRIT to live in those who believe.

We focus a lot of our celebration on Christmas and Easter about the events that lead up to, the moment of and the events that immediately follow and almost none on who He is today and how that impacts our life and the world we live in. We do that for ourself and every other person’s (alive or dead) birthday or death we celebrate but not for CHRIST our LORD and Savior.

Let’s change the celebration of Christmas and Easter from the past to the present and future. For while the past is the foundation that today and tomorrow are build on we are not living in the past we are living in the present and preparing for the future.

Am I talking about changing our traditions around Christmas and Easter? No, I’m talking about changing our focus from what happened to what is happening. Most of the world knows the story of JESUS’ birth, death and resurrection but they do not see the importance for the world today. They say things like, “That’s old news.” “That’s history and history is boring.” “No one cares anymore.” “What does that have to do with me?” “That was then, this is now.” That is our call and purpose (the great commission), to make CHRIST revilent to the world now. To show them not just what happened but why it happened and how that impacts their life and the world today.