It is STILL Christmas

Every year I find myself needing to remind myself that Christmas isn’t over just because it is December 26^th. As Orthodox Christians we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for two weeks! Christmas isn’t just a single day event. It isn’t just about one day during which we all gather to open too many presents and eat too much food. In fact, it really isn’t about the “day” at all but a “life” that we choose to live in Christ. Please allow me to explain...

In our secular world Christmas, even among many Christians, has become a secular holiday where slogans such as, “Christmas is about family” or “Christmas is a time for giving” have become trite sayings. Many Christians don’t even plan to attend Church services any longer. We shouldn’t really be surprised though because for many Christians, even Orthodox Christians, throughout the year attending Church services has become at best an honored tradition and at worst a painful obligation during which we stare at the floor and anxiously await the end of the service.

But today it is still Christmas. Not only does the Church continue the actual celebration of Christmas with the singing of the Christmas hymns and the forbidding of fasting, the Church reminds us that celebrating Christmas is a chance to change our life for good. Christmas is about encountering the newborn Savior and living a life genuinely connected (what we call in communion) with Him not just on December 25^th but EVERY day.

Don’t allow Christmas to come and go like the forgotten toys in the corner the day after Christmas. Encounter the newborn Savior and Live A New Life In Christ. Enjoy Christmas every day......but at least for the next two weeks! It is STILL Christmas!

Christmas is a TODAY Experience

Many Christians celebrate Christmas as a historic event, but Orthodox celebrate Christmas as a TODAY experience. “Today He who holds the whole world in His hand is born from a Virgin.” We are blessed with the gift of Christmas so that we can live a new life in Christ TODAY, not just to celebrate some far-away concept of an event that happened in history. If Christmas is nothing more than history, we are no better than Herod who turned away from Christ. We have a better way, a living way, a TODAY way!

It’s Just SO Hard to be a Christian

The world is constantly pulling at you. Your friend keep asking when you are going to get a new job so you can make more money, and your boss keeps asking you when you are going to take your job seriously because he needs you to  make more money. Politicians keep telling you that unless you make more money, you are lazy and need to go out and try to make more money. On top of all that....this week is Christmas, so EVERY story and online shopping warehouse is trying to get you to spend more money by convincing you that your family will only think you love them if you spend...you got it.....more money on THEM! All you want to do is think about Christ at Christmas but everywhere you turn, all anyone seems to care about is money, money, money.

Check out today’s Gospel Reading: Mark 10:24-32 (RSV) - The Lord said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for these who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first." And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.

Worrying about money isn’t anything new. What’s new is your willingness to put God above money. What’s new is the freedom that you have to escape the constant torment from society about money. What’s new is Christmas. Jesus Christ became one of us, the same in every way except sin (see Hebrews 4.15) SO THAT you would no longer be a slave to money. It’s your choice to truly honor Christ during Christmas this weekend. It isn’t easy, but it is possible.

The final days before Christmas

Christmas is just a few days away and many of you are making your final checklists to make sure you are ready for the holiday. Shopping for gifts, shopping for ingredients, pulling out the rest of the decorations, cleaning the house to welcome guests....the work never ends does it? But what about your soul? Have you made your checklist to make sure your soul is ready for Christmas?

Here is today’s Gospel Reading: Mark 9:42-50; 10:1 (RSV) - The Lord said, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to Gehenna, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. For every one will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." And he left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again; and again, as his custom was, he taught them.

I am sharing this with you today to encourage you to make a spiritual checklist for Christmas.

• Have I fast as much as I am able as an offering to God?
• Have I said my daily prayers as I should?
• Have I been making time to read the Scriptures?
• Have I chosen a charity to support for Christmas?
• Have I prepared to receive Holy Communion?
• Have I lived a Christian life?

If you haven’t done all these, don’t panic. We all have fallen short of the glory of God. That is why the Church reminds us again this week of the importance of preparing our soul for Christmas. But there is one final item for your Christmas Checklist....schedule Holy Confession. I encourage you to contact your spiritual father and make an appointment for Holy Confession. Since we all know we fall short, it is through the joyous mystery of Holy Confession that we can get that “fresh start” and be fully prepared for Christmas. Your soul will thank you...

Our Ancestors

Our spiritual ancestors lived dedicated Orthodox Christian lives, willing even at times to sacrifice everything they had for the truth of God. Our physical ancestors made sacrifices too, many coming from far off lands with just a few dollars in their pocket, so that we could have a better life. The better life our ancestors sought was not only about houses and cars. The better life they sought included building a Church at the center of our life.

Are You Ashamed?

It seems every day we are given the opportunity to confess our love for God, either in words or often more importantly in actions. Many times we are faced with a split second decision to either confess God or deny Him. Sometimes our quick decisions are words that come from our mouths, but NORMALLY this decision has more to do with our actions than our words.

How will we respond to the homeless man on the sidewalk?

How will we look the request for food?

How will we treat the stranger who attends Christmas Liturgy?

Saint Paul says, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.” (2 Timothy 8)

The quick responses that face us everyday speak more about our hearts than the well chosen words we choose to use on Facebook or through emails. If we are willing to embrace the words of Saint Paul, then our actions (not just our well chosen words) will BE a living example of the gospel of Christ.

Just something to think about as Christmas draws near...

There’s Always Time for Cranberry Sauce

When Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath, those who were watching complained because He “worked” on the Sabbath. They had forgotten there was an actual purpose for the Sabbath. In the same way, many of us look at the Church rules as just rules to follow. We spend so much time worrying about following the rules; we forget that the rules have an actual benefit for our lives. The weeks leading up to Christmas present a great opportunity to refocus our attention on what really matters. If only we could trust the Church enough to understand the meaning behind the rules, we could arrive at the Feast of Christmas with peace rather than a panic about making sure everything is in order for the dinner. There’s always time for cranberry sauce. This year, let’s get our soul ready for Christmas.

Show us also Your Divine Theophany

On Christmas Eve during the Royal Hours of Christmas, a special prayer service offered on Christmas Eve morning, we sang the following hymn:

Today He who holds the whole world in His hand is born from a Virgin. (3)

He who in essence is impalpable is swaddled in rags as a mortal. God who established the

heavens of old in the beginning is lying in a manger. He who rained down manna for

the people in the wilderness is breastfed with milk. He who is the Bridegroom of the Church

is summoning Magi. And He, that Son of the Virgin, is accepting their gifts.

We adore Your Nativity, O Christ. We adore Your Nativity, O Christ. We adore Your Nativity, O Christ.

Show us also Your divine Theophany

Christmas has always been celebrated as part of the Feast of Theophany, and yet many of us pay little attention or make little effort to attend services for Theophany. The Feast in which God for the first time reveals Himself as Trinity is one of the greatest moments in human history. It is during the Feast of Theophany the Church extends the blessings of God to the entire created world. When Jesus entered the Jordan River to be baptized by John, He sanctified all of creation by His presence in the water. The Church continues the work of sanctifying creation when we celebrate the Great Blessing of the Waters on Theophany. Through the blessing of the waters, our homes, businesses, our own lives and the entire world receives the blessings of the Jordan – the blessings of God.

Today is the “End” of Christmas

There is a term in the Church, called “Apodosis, or Leave-taking”, which represents the end of a particular festal period. For example, the Apodosis of Pascha is the day before Ascension. Just as with Pascha we stop greeting each other with, “Christ is Risen” after the apodosis, today (The Apodosis of Christmas) will be the final day we greet each other with, “Christ is Born!” Tomorrow begins another festal period for the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord on the Eighth Day.

So why does the Church speak about the Twelve Days of Christmas if December 31^st is the Leave-Taking? Both feasts, Christmas and Circumcision, lead up to Theophany and the Baptism of Our Lord. In fact, in the earliest centuries, Theophany was the main feast with very little emphasis on the Nativity narratives. The Church began placing emphasis on Christmas only in the Fourth Century, not that 1600 years doesn’t make it an ancient feast.

The Church celebrates Theophany as the appearing of the Holy Trinity in creation, while Christmas was the birth of the eternal Son of God. Once the Church extended the celebration to include the Nativity, it was natural to “link Christmas to Theophany,” so much that the hymns for the Royal Hours of Christmas actually include the words, “We worship Your Nativity O Christ, show  us also you Divine Theophany.” The hymn is sung in the same manner as Holy and Great Friday when the Church prayers, “We worship your Passion O Christ, show us also Your Holy Resurrection.” Just as the Passion LEADS to the Resurrection, the Birth LEADS to Theophany. Thus.....the Twelve Days of Christmas.

How much of the world's nonsense did you buy this year for Christmas?

Today’s Gospel Reading: Luke 14:25-35 - At that time, great multitudes accompanied Jesus; and he turned and said to them, "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is fit neither for the land nor for the dunghill; men throw it away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Today is the fourth day of Christmas. Have you chosen to follow Christ or are you still a slave to the worldly things? Did you attend Liturgy for Christmas, or was your Christmas merely a celebration of gift-giving and family feasting around a decorated tree. Were you so “tired of Christmas” by the time December 25^th FINALLY arrived that you were glad to wake up on December 26^th so you could start packing up your decorations for next year? The world has much to say about how we “should” behave as citizens, but much of it is nonsense and should be ignored.

Your willingness to ignore the worldly advice is the essence of today’s Gospel reading. When Christ says, “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life...” He is speaking about your willingness to ignore the secular advice the world was trying to sell you during the holidays. How much of the world’s nonsense did you buy this year?

Two Ways of Responding to the Good News

When we hear the Good News of Christmas, we get to choose
how we respond. We can respond as Herod the King with rage because we don’t
want to give up our comforts and material way of life. We can choose to embrace
the Good News as freedom from the anxiety and pressures of the worldly life or
we can stand up and fight against the truth of the Church, as the crowd stood
up and stoned Saint Stephen.  King Herod had the chance to see the joy and freedom of the Good News of Christ’s Birth, but he couldn’t even see Christ as the coming freedom from Rome. How will you respond to the Good News of Christmas this year? Will you respond like Herod
and the crowd, or sing God’s praises as the Angels? Christ is born; Glorify
Him; you have been set free!

SO Much More than Happy Birthday Jesus

Christ is Born; Glorify Him!

I awoke this morning to see the same limp, uninspired, secular Christmas wishes on social media. My least favorite was “Happy Birthday Jesus,” as if Christmas is just another day to send birthday wishes because a Facebook reminder popped up and told you that today was Jesus birthday. I’m actually surprised that Facebook hasn’t found a way to further cheapen the greatest of Christmas. But today’s blog post isn’t about Facebook. There would be just too much to write. Today’s post is about the painful truth that more than half of Americans consider Christmas as nothing more than a cultural experience. There is not religious significance to the day for HALF of our country, even for those who “openly celebrate” Christmas. I suspect that if you consider how many people are actual members of your Church, and you compared that to the number of faithful in Church for Christmas, you will find the same ratio true in your community.

But today is SO MUCH more than happy birthday Jesus. The Magi knew this to be true. Although they were astrologers, God had told them through the star that the birth of Jesus was different. The Magi knew that lying in the manger that moment in a cave was the King Who was God, born to die. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were not random gifts for “just some baby” but to declare their total acceptance of a new life made possible only because of the birth of God. The God-King born to die, makes possible that we no longer have to be anxious about the worldly things.

This is the essence of our Orthodox Christian greeting for Christmas – Christ is Born; Glorify Him! We greet each other in the manner as we do during Pascha to express the amazing change in the world that His birth has brought into being. This new reality is what gives us the freedom FROM anxiety of all the worldly struggles. Do you struggle with finances? Christ is Born, and you no longer have to look at finances as a source of anxiety. Do you struggle with health issues? Christ is born, and you no longer have to look at your health as a source of anxiety. It is SO much more than Happy Birthday Jesus!

Christmas Has to Mean Something

More than half of all Americans consider Christmas a
“cultural experience” rather than a religious holiday. We all know at least one
person, maybe even a family member, that considers Christmas just about
decorations, gifts and a big family dinner. But if the God Who created the
universe really became a human on this day we call Christmas, then that has to
mean something. Calling God our savior is more than just a few words. If He
came to save us, we have to want to be saved. If Christmas is just another day
for family to gather around the dinner table, then it isn’t Christmas.
Something so significant and life changing – life saving – as God becoming a
baby has to mean something.

The Greeting Makes a Difference

For weeks we have been greeting each other with Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, but all that stops tonight. Now that the Feast of Christmas has arrived, NOW we celebrate. Since November 15^th we have been preparing and the greeting, “Merry Christmas” was meant as a future event. HAVE a merry Christmas. Now that the Feast of Christmas has arrived, NOW we look to the present with the traditional Orthodox Christian greeting, “Christ is Born; Glorify Him!” In the same tradition as Pascha, we NOW greet each other with, “Christ is Born,” and we respond with, “Glorify Him!”

Christ IS Born. It isn’t a once in the past moment in history, but a real and current reality. When we celebrate the birth of another family member, we are celebrating an event that happened and now has past. BUT the celebration of Christmas is different, because unlike the birth of another human being, the birth of God has forever changed the world. And the Church celebrates this event in the present as if we are there to witness the event.

The Kontakion of Christmas reads, “Today, the Virgin bears Him who is transcendent, and the earth presents the cave to Him who is beyond reach. Angels, along with shepherds glorify Him. The Magi make their way to Him by a star. For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages.” TODAY our world has changed, and tomorrow is a NEW day. It is no longer just a birthday, but a day to Live A New Life In Christ. It is a day to, “Glorify Him” Who was born in a cave for our salvation. It is so much more than just a birthday party. It is a new creation worthy of glory!

A Perfect Gift for God at Christmas

Today’s Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 10:1-18 -  BRETHREN, since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices which are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? If the worshipers had once been cleansed, they would no longer have any consciousness of sin. But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin year after year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Consequently, when he came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou hast taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,' as it is written of me in the roll of the book." When he said above, "Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "Lo, I have come to do thy will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this one had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

In the Old Testament, when someone wanted to thank God for a blessing they had received, they went to the temple and made an offering. There were many sorts of offerings which you can read about in the Old Testament. But with the coming of Christ, all these offerings were replaced with one perfect offering. The Eucharist, the Body of Blood of Christ, has replaced any and all offerings made in the Old Testament as the perfect offering, the perfect way to say thank you to God, the perfect way to seek His blessings, the perfect way to be in Communion with Him, the perfect way to Live A New Life In Christ. Do you have a reason to be thankful this year at Christmas? Attend Divine Liturgy, the sacrifice of all sacrifices, the Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is the perfect gift for God at Christmas.

He Paid them no Heed

Today’s Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 8:7-13 - BRETHREN, if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: "The days will come, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I paid no heed to them, says the Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach every one his fellow or every one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." In speaking of a new covenant he treats the first as obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing Old is ready to vanish away.

For those who turned their back on God’s promise, He “paid no heed to them.” Just because you call yourself a Christian doesn’t mean your work is complete. Countless Jews called themselves Israel, the People of God, but they never recognized Him when He came in the flesh to deliver them from their sins. Will YOU recognize the Lord when He comes? He HAS come, but you do not live as if you believe. You call yourself Christian but you continue in your slavery to sin. Just a few things to think about in the final days before Christmas.

The Christian Life is a Narrow Path

Today’s Gospel Reading: Luke 13:19-29 - The Lord said this parable, "The kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches." And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. And some one said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us.' He will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!' There you will weep and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God."

It always amazes me when confronted with the notion that the Christian life is the narrow path, many will accuse the Church of judging and trying to control people. But with the words we read today in the Gospel of Luke, Christ made perfectly clear that entering into heaven is reserved for those who choose the narrow path rather than the broad avenues of the world. Something to think about in the final days of the Nativity fast.

The Old Testament as the Story of the Savior

On the Sunday before Christmas the Church prepare us to receive Christ by recalling the story of His ancestors. When most people read the Old Testament, which we should ALL read, they think they are reading the story of the saved people of God. While the Old Testament does in fact speak about the people of God whom God continues to save, if you take a closer look you will notice the story is really about the family tree of Jesus Christ.

Look very briefly at Genesis and you will see the story. Creation...Fall... First Promise...Sinful world gets out of control....Fall (Great Flood)....Promise (Noah)....Sinful world gets out of control....Fall (Tower of Babel)...Promise (Abraham)....Sinful world gets out of control....(slavery, plagues, famine, murder, etc). At the point when the whole world had fallen into a sinful state THEN the final Promise is fulfilled with the coming of God into the world. This is why the Gospel of Matthew begins with the generations of Christ from Abraham to Christ.

For Orthodox Christians the Old Testament always points toward Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is the story of how God ensured at every point when sin had spread to the furthest reaches of the world that He identified at least one righteous human being through which the family line of the savior could continue. God’s promise since the very first Fall has always been to save humanity from eternal death, and the celebration of Christmas is the celebration of the beginning days of that final promise as it became a reality.

Experiencing Christmas as an Adult

Today’s Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 5:11-14; 6:1-8 - BRETHREN, about Melchizedek we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God's word. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the work of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, with instruction about ablutions, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned.

Christmas is just a “few days” away and you should be wondering why the Church offers us this particular reading. Keeping in mind this reading is assigned to be read on Wednesday of the 24^th Week following Pascha, it routinely is read during December. While it is not particularly for the Christmas season, as so many daily things are focused on the “holidays” around our society, it does have something to teach us for Christmas.

Christmas is a season during which many of look back with fond memories of our childhood. Many even judge their current Christmas experience with memories of “better days” when we were children. It is a natural process, but one that rarely encourages growth and maturity. If we experienced Christmas with the same maturity that we had when we were children, we would never be satisfied. We would never be willing to help others. In essence we would be what some have called grown children. Others use the term spoiled brat.

The same can be said of our spiritual growth and maturity. If we insist on experiencing Jesus Christ (and now I’m not just speaking of Christmas) with the mind of a child, we will forever remain self-oriented brats. I often use the comparison to math. If we went through life only knowing 3^rd grade mathematics and expecting the world experience of a 3^rd grader, we would not only be lonely and miserable, we would be in danger. Intuitively we know that we MUST grow up, and most of us do pretty well in our secular lives growing up, but what about our spiritual life? This is the warning from Saint Paul today.

If you are still experiencing Christmas as a 3^rd grader, maybe it’s time you grow up and put some effort into preparing your soul to receive Christ this year, and no so much about how well the Christmas Tree is decorated.

Is it good to beg God?

During the Christmas season, parents share a common struggle with the reality of begging children. Our children set their hearts on a particular gift they MUST have for Christmas, and go about the task of convincing their parents that they just don’t love their children enough if that gift doesn’t make its’ way under the Christmas Tree. EVERY parent understands this painful responsibility between wanting our children to be happy and knowing what really would make our children happy. EVERY parents understands that our children don’t fully understand the different between needs and wants. EVERY parents understands the pain of denying children something that, as parents, they know the children don’t need, or worse is dangerous for them to have.

Any now place yourself in the position of the child begging for something YOU have set your heart on this year. Have you asked God for something that, as of yet, He hasn’t given you? Do you continue to insist that God give you a particular blessing by begging Him in your daily prayers? Do you sometimes feel that God must not love you JUST because He hasn’t given you exactly what you want? Do you sometimes think YOU know better than God? Aren’t you really just behaving like a spoiled child during Christmas?

I must admit, I struggle with just how much is enough when it comes to praying “for” something we believe we need. It may be a new job, better health, nicer/kinder neighbors. During our daily prayers, we often find ourselves listing a number of “demands” from God. And then.....huff when He has decided that answer to our prayer is “no” or maybe “not yet” which makes us even more frustrated. Do we believe that if we just ask God enough, He will eventually “give in” to our demands? Worse is being taught that “just believe, and prayer with faith, and God will provide.”

Isn’t that what we learned as children? If either as parents who give in to children, or mentors who teach others to “name it and claim it” in our prayers, haven’t we just taught our children to beg God until He give in? And when He, in His wisdom and love for us, responds with “no” do we get angry or trust that He knows better what we need?

Next time you find yourself begging God after praying numerous times, ask yourself this: “Don’t I trust that God knows better?” And then finish your prayer with, “If it is God’s will.” If those final words are included with EVERY request, God will ALLWAYS “give us” what we seek because we seek His will.