Sample of Christmas in a World that
Sings its own Carols
Services will be sent on diskette or CD or as email attachments for your editing as desired and your printing -- formatted to your Word Processor and to fit on the four sides of a folded 8.5x14 sheet of paper.
Christmas
In a World that Sings Its Own Carols
Sermons by Rev. Ken Behnken,
as Pastor of Faith, Capistrano Beach, CA
1. Hark, the Herald Ad-men
Sing. James 1:16-18
Don't be deceived, dear brothers and
sisters. Every good and perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not
change like shifting shadows. He chose
to give us new birth through the Word of Truth, so we might be a kind of
firstfruits of all he created.
The TV commercial showed a man zooming his new car down the road, making turns as if he were driving a sports car. Then, when the car stops you see the driver smudge lipstick on his mouth and cheek, spray a little cologne on his shoulder, loosen his tie and tug his collar askew. He goes into his house, where his wife is sitting on the couch waiting for him. She is not fooled. She looks at him and says, "You've just been driving again, haven't you?" He looks trapped and she dismisses him with a "You're pathetic."
The
commercial message comes across loud and clear: "That luxury car with such sporty capabilities is simply
irresistible. You would love it
just as much. Driving it is such a
pleasure that it is virtually addictive."
Such
commercials are singing their song again during this pre-Christmas season. Millions of dollars are being spent by
companies for spots aimed at the viewing audience they want to reach. They spend additional millions to procure
the services of advertising companies
that know just how to do it.
Have
you noticed that there has been a shift in emphasis over the years? Instead of just touting the performance and
quality of the product, the thrust is now aimed at the user instead of at the
product. The aim is to convince you
that this product will make you feel more alive, more attractive, more
youthful, more popular, more successful, more satisfied – so that you just
can't wait to have it for yourself or, in this season, to get it as just the
right gift for that person on your Christmas list.
It is
pathetic – the influence the commercial world's "Christmas carols"
can have on us. It's pathetic, and
dangerous, as they stir up in people – and also in us and our children and
grandchildren – a focus on things and a desire for things as the way to happiness.
Things,
of course, are part of our earthly lives, and for a business to advertise the
things they offer for sale is not wrong.
But as Christians we are well advised to remember that the world's ad
men are clever and know how to get to us.
But they are limited. They can
point only to material things and try to make them appear to be necessary
to our really living. They cannot
point, as James does, to the heavenly Father and remind us that every good
and perfect gift comes from him – and that material things find their
proper place in our lives as his children only when they are enjoyed in
relation to him. They will not, as
Jesus did, encourage us to seek first his Kingdom and righteousness, and count
on the heavenly Father to give us the everyday good and perfect gifts we need
as well.
Unfortunately,
the songs of the ad men have strong appeal to our sinful natures, and too often
we find ourselves going down the pathetic path of materialism. Have you felt the effects of their appeal in
your life? They want you to believe
that life does consist in the abundance of things you possess. Do you feel the pressure these days to make
this the "best Christmas ever" for yourself and your family, but are
thinking largely in terms of what you will buy – even if it takes you beyond
what good Christian management of your income calls for? The merchants and their ad men love the
Christmas season, and are happy to give you credit. "Just put it on your card.
No payments for three months."
They want you to love the things they offer.
The
Advent Season – and these Midweek Advent Devotions – come as a way of helping
us get a grip, deal firmly with our sinful natures, and renew the new life
perspective that will make this "the best Christmas ever" in every
respect. These are days not only to
count the number of shopping days before Christmas so we can make our
appropriate purchases, but to count the days and the ways in which we are
preparing our hearts and our homes for our celebration of the birth of God's Son,
our Savior.
The
apostle John urges us in his first letter:
"Do not love the world or
anything in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the
lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the
Father but from the world. The world
and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives
forever."
So it's time to turn down
the insistent volume of the songs of the ad men. It's time to tune in prayerfully and thoughtfully to the song of
the true heralds of Christmas – the angels who sang, "Glory to the Newborn
King." They point us, as they did
the shepherds, to the manger in the stable in Bethlehem, so we can witness
again the miracle that speaks to our hearts the secret of true Life.
By his very presence in that
manger, born of woman to be our Savior, the Christchild says to us, "The ad men of the world are
wrong. You will never find your real
happiness and your real purpose in life by aiming at the world and what it
offers. I have come into the world so
you may have real Life and have it to the full. I will live for you the life in accord with my Father's will that
is beyond your capability. I will die
on a cross for you as God's atoning sacrifice for your sins. My Spirit will lead you beyond craving and
investing your life in things that just pass away to finding your real
satisfaction in doing the will of the heavenly Father who loves you – enjoying
a lifestyle that will go on forever."
The world's ad men sing their song: "Buy! Buy!" The herald angels and the Christchild have the true Christmas song: "Receive! Receive!" Only as this Christmas is again a matter of you and your family receiving in faith the forgiving, renewing love of God in Christ will it be your "best Christmas ever".
The world's ad men sing
their song: "Get! Get!"
But there is another Christmas song that comes to us from this manger
over which there is the shadow of a cross.
It's chorus is "Give!
Give" and it is sung by the one who gave himself for us. Its verses spell it out:
"Love
one another as I have loved you."
"Whatever you do for the least of my brothers in need, you do for
me." "Each one should give
what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver."
In addition to giving us
opportunities for special worship, the Christmas season opens up opportunities
for giving to the needy of our community, for giving to LCMS World Relief to
reach out to the world's needy, and for giving a special Birthday Gift to Jesus
to help do what is closest to his heart:
proclaiming his Gospel to the nations.
"Hark, the herald angels sing 'Glory to the Newborn King.' Listen to their song, and follow your heart. It will lead you to something better than a new luxury car with sports car capabilities. You won't just go "driving" through life pursuing things – and you won't have to try to hide the fact that you are in fact enjoying your "best Christmas ever".
Order Form / Price List