Titus 2:11-14 Christmas Eve 10:00 2014

Waiting for Santa

Here we are on Christmas Eve, just two hours before midnight. Christmas Day is coming soon. My mom always liked going to the 11:00 worship service at The United Methodist Church in Chagrin Falls and I liked staying up late, so I would go along with her. The whole Chancel Choir was there and we would hear Jim Raftus sing a long solo of “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”, a song that I have grown to love, although I didn’t particularly love it back then. But we would come out of church just after midnight and then it was back home to get into bed and wait for Santa. I was sixteen at the time, but had high hopes for the big guy to come through with the toys.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are waiting for Him to arrive in our hearts yet again. And as we hear the Nativity story tonight – of shepherds, angels and a young couple with a newborn baby – if the mood is right and the carols do their thing, it’s not hard to make room in our hearts for Jesus to enter. In fact, Christmas is the perfect time to make a fresh start with our relationship with God.

The early church that was born after the resurrection of Jesus looked forward to Jesus returning to Earth for a return engagement, much like little children look forward to Santa Claus. Paul writes to Titus and his church about “[living] lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Sure sounds like Santa to me!

There’s a big difference between Santa and Jesus.We need to be good to get on Santa’s nice list. Any kid who knows what’s what has

been doing a lot of errands around the house and we get on Jesus’ list for starters simply because God loves us and loves us first and best.

It’s tempting sometimes to treat Jesus like Santa and tell persons that they have to clean up their act to get into heaven; you don’t want to get on Jesus’ naughty list. But Christ gave his life for us on the cross before the world understood why. And God’s love is able to change the heart of a person that some might consider a hopeless sinner. As Paul says: Jesus Christ is our teacher “[giving] himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.”

God’s love takes a big risk coming to us in Jesus. He was born into a poor family and started his ministry late in life. In just three years He taught us about the love of God and the healing power of His touch. Jesus spent more time with the poor and the outcast, simply because the world showed them no partiality. Jesus eventually gave His life on a cross, but this example of love was necessary for our redemption. The resurrection opened up all of God’s power to touch us, change us, save us and bring to into a new relationship of love with God and all people.

A true Christmas story is one of redemption, whether it’s Ebenezer Scrooge, George Bailey, Charlie Brown, or the Grinch. When we share in the bread and the cup tonight we look into a manger and see not only God’s gift of life to the world, but the One who will, after years of living alongside of us, will give His life for us and teach us how to be good. Thanks be to God for such a gift like this. The love of Jesus Christ is worth waiting for, through Christmas night and every night. Amen.