Friday, December 16, 2011
It’s
nice to see that most of our troops from Iraq will be home for Christmas. It's always heart-warming to see these reunions. Especially at Christmas. The song, “I’ll Be Home for
Christmas” was recorded by Bing Crosby on October 4, 1943. The song touched the hearts of Americans, both soldiers and civilians, who were in the midst of World War II, and it earned Crosby his fifth gold record. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" became the most requested song at Christmas U.S.O. shows. GI magazine, said Crosby "accomplished more for military morale than anyone else of that era". Being home for
Christmas will be much more than a dream for our troops serving in Iraq; it
will be a reality. I’m sure kids will be
delighted to see their moms and dads. I’m
sure moms and dads will be overjoyed to see their kids. There is something special about home and
Christmas.
Much
of the Christmas story is about not being home.
Joseph and Mary were living in Nazareth.
Because of the census they had to leave home and register in Joseph’s
town of origin, Bethlehem. We can’t be sure if he had any relatives in
Bethlehem. We can be certain that given a choice Joseph would have stayed home
in Nazareth. This 5 day trip would have
been extremely inconvenient with a wife who was near giving birth. Joseph and Mary were not home for Christmas.
Jesus
wasn’t born in a home or an inn. He was
born in a humble setting, most likely a cave.
More humbling than his birth was his humility to leave his home to come
to earth. Jesus left his home so I could
be at home with him. Here is how Paul
described Jesus leaving home in Philippians 2: 5-11 (Message).
Think of
yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with
God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages
of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the
privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed
human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special
privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a
selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because
of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or
anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those
long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call
out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the
Father.
Our
troops from Iraq are coming home and that warms our hearts for a season. But what warms our hearts for eternity is
the reality that Jesus left his home so I could be at home with God forever!
I’m
home this Christmas, are you?
Pastor
Tim
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