FIVE - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, December 19, 2018
A MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christmas today
Christmas today is a par-
adox. It is a time when God’s
people are reminded of the
Virgin birth of a loving Savior,
and also a time when we ob-
serve many inconsistencies with
what Christmas has become.
For some, it is a time of simple
faith and joy in a Savior, who
selflessly came into this world
to live among us. To others, it is
a time when hidden beneath the
innocence of tinsel and lights,
there lies a denial of Christ, and
a ‘mad dash’ to pile up as many
things as possible.
Every year we see the sin-
ful nature that is rooted in all
of us on display on the news
or internet. The insanity of the
Black Friday sales have people
pitted against each other in vi-
olence and hate, just so we can
get our families that ‘perfect
Christmas gift.’
For those who don’t get
caught up in this kind of scene,
we may still be consumed with
cooking and baking, practicing
songs for the holiday play, the
parades, decorating the house
and even watching the endless
list of Christmas movies and
cartoons.
While there is nothing
wrong with Christmas activities,
it is usually when we are so busy
with the things of this life that
we miss God. We may ask, how
is it that these things happen?
Were we just not looking?
This very thing happened
when Joseph and Mary went to
Bethlehem for the census. The
Bible tells us in Luke 2, “And it
came to pass in those days that
a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world
should be registered…Joseph
also went up from Galilee, out
of the city of Nazareth, into Ju-
dea, to the city of David, which
is called Bethlehem, because
he was of the house and lin-
eage of David, to be registered
with Mary, his betrothed wife,
who was with child…And she
brought forth her firstborn Son,
and wrapped Him in swaddling
clothes, and laid Him in a man-
ger, because there was no room
for them in the inn.”
So picture the scene, a
young couple simply traveling
to fulfill their obligation to
Rome for the census, while
the mother carries to deliver
the Savior to the world. They
traveled in quiet hope and duty
while the streets were filled
with the busyness of commerce.
Vendors and business people
working tirelessly to take ad-
vantage of the large volume of
potential customers to make as
much money as possible.
It was in all this chaos that
the world literally changed with
very little notice. A more lowly
birth could not exist for any
child, let alone the Son of God.
Off to one side sit a group
of shepherds. They sit silently
and no doubt in amazement
as their night watch had been
disrupted by a burst of light
from heaven and a symphony of
angels. Near the young mother
sits the weary father. He can’t
remember the last time he sat
down, and still hasn’t figured it
all out. What’s important is that
the baby is fine and that Mary
is safe.
He is here!! The time of
waiting is over. Of this child,
the prophesies of the Old Tes-
tament will become very alive
and testify of the living God.
The Messiah would be born of
a virgin, born in Bethlehem, be
the seed of a woman, descended
of David, would be called out
of Egypt, called a Nazarene,
perform signs of healing, be
the great light, be greater than
David, be the star coming out
of Jacob, be a prophet like
Moses, be preceded by Elijah,
be preceded by a messenger,
be a light to the nations of the
world, be the One to whom the
scepter belongs, be our kins-
man-Redeemer, be the rejected
cornerstone, be the righteous
sufferer, be the willing sacrifice,
come riding in on a donkey, be
betrayed for 30 pieces of silver,
be a Passover lamb, be forsak-
en, pierced, and vindicated, be
resurrected and bring in the new
covenant. All of these prophe-
sies would be fulfilled because
of this Child who arrived. This
happened without the fanfare,
without a procession, without
royal subjects.
The pain of delivery Mary
experienced has now been
eclipsed by wonder. She looks
into the face of Jesus. At this
point in history, the human be-
ing who best understands who
God is and what he is doing is
a teenage girl in an old stable.
She can’t take her eyes off him.
Somehow Mary knows she is
holding God, our Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Ev-
erlasting Father and Prince of
Peace.
This baby had overlooked
the universe. These rags keep-
ing him warm were the robes
of eternity. His golden throne
room had been abandoned in
favor of a dirty sheep pen. And
worshiping angels had been re-
placed with kind but bewildered
shepherds.
Meanwhile, the rest of
Bethlehem continued its active
pace. I do think, that they missed
the arrival because they were so
busy and couldn’t be bothered
with anything else. And two
thousand years later, not much
has changed.
This Christmas, my hope
for you is that your family gath-
erings may be happy and filled
with good memories and joy. If
you find yourself at a parade I
hope it is colorful and brightly
lit. I hope you have time to enjoy
your favorite songs and movies
that bring back only the best
memories you have had through
the years of Christmases past.
But more than anything
else, before the cleanup begins
and the tree is thrown out, and
ornaments at the store are on
sale for half-price, I hope you
will take, if only a moment, time
to sit quietly to reflect on that
night so long ago of the Christ
Child in a manger.
“Now there were in the
same country shepherds living
out in the fields, keeping watch
over their flock by night. And
behold, an angel of the Lord
stood before them, and the glory
of the Lord shone around them,
and they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid, for behold,
I bring you good tidings of
great joy which will be to all
people. For there is born to you
this day in the city of David a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be the sign to you:
You will find a Babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in
a manger.”
And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of
the heavenly host praising God
and saying: “Glory to God in
the highest, And on earth peace,
goodwill toward men!” (Luke
2: 8-14).
Dr. Carmelo A. Di Salvo
Valby Lutheran Church
Reconnecting this
Christmas
Recently, I participated
in two funeral services. One
was attended via YouTube
television watching the buri-
al of our 41 st president. The
other was a quiet country
burial of a local member of
our community. One service
had all the pomp and circum-
stance of a king or nobleman,
complete with a 45 minute
peeling of glorious bells
tolling in honor of one who
held the chair of commander
of the free world. Another
included strumming from
one of the best musicians in
our beloved Morrow County,
hidden talent in this tucked
away gem of eastern Ore-
gon. There exists a profound
contrast between the two
experiences. Yet, for all the
difference there is a stark
similarity, both men were
born and both men died.
Did it really matter that
one man achieved the pinna-
cle of political ambition and
another man lived quietly
known only to a small hand-
ful of friends and neighbors?
Did it really matter that one
man lived and died very
wealthy and the other com-
fortable but modest in his
earthly possessions? What
really matters?
Looking at this con-
trast at first appears to be
pointless, hopeless and
quite frankly, depressing.
Shouldn’t there be more to
life? If all there is to life is
achievement, comfort or
even more noble pursuits
like friends and family, in the
end, who cares?
There must be more.
There is more. We are not
just masses of tissue walk-
ing on earth to accumulate
wealth, friends or even ex-
periences. All of our pursuits,
even the best and most noble
leave us empty at the end
of the journey because we
were created for something
more. We are people, human
beings created by God, who
find our greatest joy once
reconnected to that same God
from which we were born es-
tranged to. That reconnection
to God is possible through,
ironically enough, God him-
self becoming one of us,
the man Christ Jesus. This
is what Christmas is a cele-
bration of, God becoming a
human being and coming to
live with us. What could be
more personal, more mean-
ingful, than that?
Perhaps you are feeling
the drag of empty pursuits.
Perhaps you are at the top of
your game and have yet to
exhaust good things in your
life. Unfortunately, those
good things will eventually
play out. There is only one
good thing that lasts forever,
and that is a relationship with
the personal God, King and
Lord, Jesus Christ.
T h i s i s G o d ’s f r e e
Christmas gift to you. Jesus,
God Himself, came to earth
to bring meaning to what
seems meaningless. Why not
make this Christmas the time
you reconnect to that joy you
seek. True lasting joy can
never be permanently found
in the mirage of political
glory, possessions or even
family. Jesus is the answer
to that which is perishing.
Reconnect to God through
Jesus this Christmas.
Pastor Tripp Finch
Willow Creek
Baptist Church
FROM THE HEPPNER
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Merry Christmas
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a uto r epair
Y our friendship
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G rain G rowers , i nc .
wish you a safe and
happy holiday
and a prosperous
n ew y ear !
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