12 Days of Christmas - Reliant K

12 Days of Christmas - Reliant K

How many of you could remember that entire song before we just listened to it?  I was never good at remembering all of the parts to the song, but I’ve gotten better since I picked up the Reliant K CD.  It is a lot catchier to me than the old version. Of course that has been the point of the last few weeks is to check out some new versions of classic songs.

One of the interesting things about the 12 Days of Christmas is that every year a group of accountants get together and determine how much it would cost to give someone the presents for each day of the song.  Have I told you before how cool accountants are, because we are awesome! So how much do you think it costs this year?  $107,300.  I’m guessing none of you are getting $107,300 spent on you this Christmas. 

I have 2 trivia questions for you.

1.       What do you think the most expensive item is?  (7 Swans swimming = $7,000)

2.       What do you think is the cheapest item? (8 maids milking = $58, minimum wage)

You may be asking yourself what the 12 Days of Christmas song has to do with Jesus Christ, the Bible, or youth group.  Well it is definitely not because I’m going to spend $107,300 buying you presents.  Do the 12 days have something to do with the Bible?  Probably not.  The song probably has very little to do with our faith….but what if it did?  Hugh McKellar, a Canadian teacher in 1979 wrote an article to “decode” the song.  This is what he came up with:

12 Drummers Drumming – The 12 points of the Apostles Creed.

1. I believe in God, the Father, almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

2. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

5. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.

6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,

9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,

10. the forgiveness of sins,

11. the resurrection of the body,

12. and life everlasting.

Amen.

11 Pipers Piping – 11 faithful Apostles

Remember that there were 12 Disciples, but Judas betrayed Jesus.

Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddaeus, & Simon

10 Lords a leaping – 10 Commandments

The laws that Moses took from Mount Sinai

1.       Place no gods before God

2.       Do not make any carved image to worship

3.       Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.

4.       Keep the Sabbath day holy.

5.       Honor your father and mother.

6.       Do not murder.

7.       Do not commit adultery.

8.       Do not steal.

9.       Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10.   Don’t covet your neighbor’s possessions.

9 Ladies Dancing - 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit

According to Paul in Galatians 5 – Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

8 Maids a milking – 8 Beatitudes

From Matthew 5 – Blessed are:

the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:3)

those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)

the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (5:5)

they who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be satisfied. (5:6)

the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)

the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (5:8)

the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. (5:9)

those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10)

7 Swans a swimming –7 gifts of the Holy Spirit

Isaiah 11 – Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude/Courage, Knowledge, Piety/Reverence, Fear of the Lord/Wonder and Awe, and Wisdom

6 Geese a laying – 6 days of creation

5 gold rings – the first 5 books of the Bible

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy – The teachings of God given to Moses

4 calling birds – the 4 Gospels

Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John

3 French Hens – 3 kings bearing gifts

2 turtle doves – 2 books of the Bible – Old and New Testament

1 partridge in a pear tree - Jesus

There you have it.  You can use the 12 Days of Christmas to represent 12 gifts that God gave to each of you.  Even though the song may not be Biblical, we can still use it to remember that God loves us and has given us a lot.  As we get closer to Christmas remember that the most important gift God gave us is the gift of his son, Jesus Christ.  Happy birthday Jesus!

Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday- Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley video

It’s that time of year again.  It’s the time where people take political correctness to extremes.  It happens at the mall.  It happens at the gas station.  It happens at school.  If you listen to people say goodbye over the next few weeks they now add something.  Happy holidays!  What holidays are they referring to though?  Is it Hanukkah, because that last for 8 days?  Is it Christmas Eve and Christmas Day since a lot of businesses close for both of them?  Maybe it’s New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day because we are celebrating the end of a year and the beginning of a new one.

Not too long ago people would be very clear about what holiday they were referring to.  Merry Christmas! Some people/songs took it a step further and said “We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”  I think when people started saying Happy Holidays that they were probably referencing Christmas and New Year.  It was probably an innocent attempt to add something to a goodbye.  However, in recent years it has been taken as a way to be politically correct.  Apparently it is now a symbol that you have “respect” for everyone’s views and opinions.  Now if we say happy holidays people can assume we are talking to them about whatever holiday they want.  Maybe I’m really excited about Trivia Day and National Bird Day, which take place on January 4^th and 5^th next month.  Maybe I’m still celebrating Thanksgiving.  Maybe I’m really excited for college football bowl season and I treat it like a holiday.  Someone might even think that I’m celebrating a holiday for the crime of trespassing.  Isn’t that what Santa does when he climbs down your chimney (kidding)?  Now we aren’t offending anyone.

Is that what the Bible tells us to do?  Did Jesus travel around speaking to groups and being extremely careful not to offend anyone?  This is not at all what Jesus did.  Jesus offended a lot of people because he went against a lot of the laws they had put in place.  Let’s look at Matthew 5:17-20:

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus directly calls out the Pharisees for not being righteous enough to get into Heaven.  So who were the Pharisees?  They were a major religious group in Israel at the time of Jesus.  They were committed to obeying all of God’s commands and were often admired for their piety, or devotion.  Then why do you think Jesus would say people needed to be better than the Pharisees?  Although the Pharisees were focused on following the laws they often failed to understand that God also had a message of grace and mercy.  They may have followed the laws, but they failed to let God change their heart.  Also, even though they focused on following the laws, they often placed a greater importance on the laws they created than the laws God created.  This is an area that I still think is dangerous today.  We are so concerned about the laws and rules, whether written or based on political correctness, that we lose the message of Christmas.  Even in families and businesses that are still bold enough to say Merry Christmas, we often celebrate Christmas without including Jesus in it.  Christmas has become about having a day off of work, opening presents, giving presents to people who already bought the things they really wanted, and eating too much.  That doesn’t sound much like what we think Jesus was all about. 

I’m going to leave you with 2 challenges for the next two weeks.  First, I want you to say “Merry Christmas” to people because of the Great Commission.  In Matthew 28:18-20 we read:

18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

If we are going to make Disciples of Christ we first have to be willing to talk about Him.

The second challenge is to watch the people around you, at school, at home, at the store, or anyplace else you go.  Do you see someone that has a real need that you could help with?  Remember, this doesn’t always include spending money.  It could be they just need someone to talk to or a hug.  Remember the love part of Christmas, because Jesus came because of God’s love.  

The Almost- Little Drummer Boy

Claymation:
The Almost:

What gifts are you bringing to Jesus this Christmas?  We have a real problem with gifts in the world today.  We have a problem understanding what the right gifts to give are.  We have a bigger problem understanding what gifts we should receive and the value of the gifts.

Let’s start with receiving gifts.  How many of you made a Christmas list this year?  Give me some ideas of what you asked for?  Making a list of gifts we want to receive can be very interesting because it can show what we put our value in.  Now I’m not going to stand here and tell you that you are an evil person for having fun stuff on your list, but let me re-visit the scene at my house a couple weeks ago.  I told Caleb that he needed to make a Christmas list because his grandma’s and grandpa’s were going to start asking for it.  So he proceeded to sit down with a toy magazine and start writing things down.  I don’t even think he knew what some of the stuff he wrote down was, but it said it was for an 8 year old so he put it on the paper.  We ended up with a collage of toy pictures. 

Then on Sunday when we went to the Angel Tree was set up.  Our Angel Tree this year is made up of several families with kids that go to your school.  I pulled a tag off that was for a present for an 8 year old girl.  She wants pajamas.  This is where the gift receiving problem comes in.  I don’t know the little girl who asked for the pajamas so I don’t know what her expectation is about the pajamas, or if she even thinks that she will get them.  I think she is going to be excited when she gets them though.  My son, on the other hand, had no concerns about making a list of toys because he is used to getting toys for Christmas.  I’m sure that he will be excited when he opens his presents, but it usually doesn’t last long.  The perception when he made the list won’t match the actual present.

I feel like the kid’s treatment of their Christmas presents is lot like the way people feel about Jesus.  When we first realize that Jesus died for our sins we are really excited, but the excitement isn’t the same for everyone and it often wears off.  For the believer who has a lot of other great things in their lives, or a lot of toys, the fact that Jesus died for us can seem less significant.  If life was good before we followed Jesus then it just got a little better, so the excitement might not last as long.  If the person’s life was pretty bad before they discovered Jesus then the excitement can be much greater.  This person went from having no toys to having an amazing one.  Finding out that you can leave your sins at the cross instead of carrying around that guilt could keep someone excited for years.  The two people received the same gift from God, but they don’t value it the same way.   

John 3:16-17

16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^f that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Getting back to talking about gifts, where does this whole idea of giving gifts at Christmas come from?

Matthew 2:9-11

9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east^e went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

These wise men possibly travelled thousands of miles to present these gifts to the child. It probably took them over a year to get there.  Why would they have gone to such great efforts just to give a gift?  They knew the Old Testament and understood that Jesus was the savior they had read about.  They brought these gifts as a sign of worship.  So how is gold, incense, and myrrh a gift of worship?  I think we understand the gift of gold.  Most people would like receiving gold and it would be an appropriate gift for a king.  Incense could be a gift for a spiritual being.  Myrrh was a spice used for a person that was going to die.  So it is possible that these gifts were a sign that these men understood Jesus to be a king, a spiritual being, and that his death would be celebrated.  Were these gifts, besides the gold, valuable?  It’s hard to tell, but I’m assuming that if one guy is travelling to give gold that the other two with him aren’t coming with a little potpourri and a teaspoon of salt.  These gifts were probably valuable.  This brings us back to the song Little Drummer Boy.

Mark 12:41-44

The Widow’s Offering

41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,^j worth only a fraction of a penny.^k

43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

The scripture is telling us that it isn’t about how much your gift is worth, but what your gift is worth to you.  We don’t know a lot about the wise men that traveled to see Jesus, but it is likely they had enough money to go back home and still get by.  The little drummer boy had nothing.  The only thing he had was his God given ability to play the drums.  He gave the baby Jesus the best gift possible because he used what God gave him and did it to the best of his ability. 

This Christmas season and beyond remember that the greatest gift was given to us when Jesus arrived and the greatest gift we can give in return is to do our best with the talents God gave us.

Kutless-Mary did you know?

Kutless-Mary did you know?

As you may be aware, it is Christmas season.  This means we just celebrated Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, etc. etc. etc.  This isn’t what it is supposed to be about though.  This is the Season of Advent.  Do you know what that is? Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus.  Let’s flashback a couple thousand years and see what I’m talking about.

In Luke 1:26-38 we find Mary of Nazareth, a young, poor girl.  Here we learn that God sent the angel Gabriel to talk to Mary, who at the time was “engaged” to marry Joseph. The angel Gabriel told Mary that she had found favor with God.  Let’s take a break there for a moment and picture yourself in this situation.  You are just sitting in your room getting ready for bed and an angel shows up.  Since I have never seen an angel I can’t tell you if the angel walks in or fly’s in, but the angel shows up.  I’m going to assume the angel is flying because it sounds better to me.  So an angel fly’s into your room!  Wow! This angel then goes on to tell you how God is happy with you so He has chosen you to give birth to his son.  At this point you are probably taking one of two approaches.  The first approach is “Wow, this is a crazy dream.  I didn’t even know I was asleep yet.”  The 2^nd approach is to debate with the angel.  “Hey, Gabriel.  I know about the birds and the bees and how to make a baby.  I’m still a virgin.  I can’t be having a baby.  You need to go back and check your facts.”  This is more like the way Mary responded, but Gabriel explained to her that the Holy Spirit would come and this kid would be the Son of God.  At this Mary responded that she is the Lord’s servant.  Now Mary understands and is okay with it, but what about Joseph. 

For Joseph we go to Matthew 1:18-26.  We find Joseph with a problem.  He’s planning on marrying a girl but he finds out the girl is pregnant.  He knows the baby isn’t his and it doesn’t sound like he is very excited about being married to her anymore.  According to the Jewish law he had a right to divorce her because it was clear to everyone else that she had been unfaithful.  This also might have led to her being stoned to death.  This was not what Joseph had planned though.  The Bible says Joseph was a righteous man so he was just going to divorce her quietly and move on.  Then an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told Joseph to go ahead and take Mary because the child in her was from the Holy Spirit, not another man.  Then the angel says that he is to name the kid Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.  Now Mary and Joseph are both on board.  So from here everything should just be perfect, right?

Imagine for a moment that you are just a person living in Nazareth down the street from Mary and Joseph.  You find out this couple is telling everyone they are having God’s baby.  They are telling people they are going to have a baby even though they have not slept together.  They even tell people that they have seen angels.  What do you think the people in that town might think about Mary and Joseph?  Imagine if they had tabloids back then.  The cover of one magazine says “Exclusive story of virgin pregnant with God’s baby.” The cover of the next magazine might say “Girl pretends to have God’s baby to avoid stoning.”  I’m guessing that there would have been some conflict around town.  Do you think this conflict would have stopped when Jesus was born?  I don’t.

The majority of Jesus’ ministry occurred in his early 30’s.  Mary and Joseph still would have needed to take care of baby Jesus, toddler Jesus, child Jesus, and teenager Jesus.  From the time before Jesus was born his parents knew he was the son of God.  Think about the song we just listened to.  Mary did you know?  How much do you think Mary knew about the future of her Son?  I don’t see anywhere that the angel came back to give them updates along the way.  When I look at my kids I definitely can’t tell you what their future holds.  My job is to do the best I can to prepare them for whatever plans God has.  I think this was probably the plan for Mary and Joseph too.  Even though they probably didn’t know every detail of the future Jesus would have, they did their best to raise him and to prepare him for God’s plan.

As we begin this Advent season spend some time thinking about what it would have been like planning for Jesus’ arrival.  Think about the excitement that the people would have had.  Think about the hope that exists when Jesus is born to save God’s people from their sins.  I want you to have that hope and excitement today as we prepare from Christmas.  Not excitement about presents, but excitement about the future we can have because Jesus came to save us from our sins.  That is the reason we celebrate Christmas!