Some say Tis The Season. So what in the empty barn does that mean? If you look up season on dictionary.com there are 19 definitions with season as a noun and verb. The one that seems to fit the best in this little teaching is definition number five which is a period of the year immediately before and after a special holiday of occasion: Like the Christmas season. By this definition we are in the midst of a season. Many folks who study the bible and history inform us of many things we seem to take for granted that are not the way we thought they were. For example, the scriptures never tell us how many wise men there were. There were 3 gifts but it is not written how many wise men/Magi came (MATT.2:1-12). Some scholars share with us that December over in Isreal is cold and wet and the shepherds and their sheep would have been in for "The Season". History shares with us that Constantine put Christ's birth on the 25th to go along with the celebration of sun gods and sun goddesses and harvest god like Saturn and the god of light, Mithras. Some scholars inform us that Jesus was born around the end of what we call September. They get this from figuring from John the Baptist birth. Luke informs us that John's Mom was in her 6th month of pregnancy when Jesus was conceived and John's Dad was a priest serving in the Jerusalem temple during the course of Abijah when an angel appeared to him to inform him of his wife's pregnancy. 9 months from that temple service would have been the month of March for John's Birth. They say add another 6 months for the birth of Jesus and you are around the end of September. Just for your knowledge if you do not know, the calendar we use is man made (the Gregorian calendar) and has names of gods and goddesses in the name of some of the months and days of the week. God has his own calendar within the scriptures.
This kind of information seems to take something away from the way we have been raised to believe, you know Tis the Season. What I am about to share with you is good news. No matter when Jesus was born, it is good to celebrate such a Holy Event. The whole idea of God coming in the flesh because of Daddy God's great love for you should be celebrated. Therefore, "TIS THE SEASON" to celebrate such a Holy Event.
How amazing that God came in the flesh to show us the way to not only to eternal life but a fulfilled life based on his kingdom ways.
This babe that was laid in a manger which is a feeding trough came to feed us salvation and feed us hope and peace and joy and love. He came to feed us blessings if we are willing to accept him and his kingdom ways. This babe lying in the manger came to bring life. What life? The incredible life Adam and Eve had with the living God. They had a very special and intimate relationship with God. This life with God was in the garden or better yet the kingdom of God on Earth. This babe in the manger would grow up one day and give his all on a cross so you could come to God and go beyond the Holy veil and commune with the living God. Yes this babe in the manger came to hang on a cross to feed God for all of man's disobedience and wrong doing.
This babe came just for you because it "Tis the Season" to show you his great love for you. If we could look in the eyes of this babe in the feeding trough you would see just how important you are in God's eyes!!! "Tis the Season" to truly understand what this babe in the feeding trough means to you. You count to God. You are important, you are a somebody because he came just for you. He came to put you on the trail you were supposed to be riding on all along and not the trail the world/culture has put you on.
Here is a story out there that illustrates how precious you are to Daddy God.
There is an older man who walks the beach every morning. He notices a younger person one morning going down the beach and picking something up and throwing something back into the water. He sees the same thing the next few mornings and his curiosity gets the best of him. The next morning he goes down to the young man and sees what he is doing which is throwing a starfish back into the ocean. The man thinks this is a futile act of kindness to do. The young man looks at him in the eyes and says, " The sun is up and the tide is out and these starfish will die if they are not thrown into where they came from!"
The older man says, "There is mile after mile of beach with hundreds of these starfish caught out of their environment where they came from." The older man continued, "You cannot possibly make a difference, what a waste of time!" The young man picks up another starfish and looks at it before he tosses it back where it came from and said, "it made a difference to this one!!!"
Cowboys and Cowgirls, it "Tis the Season" that makes a difference. You are that starfish caught by the wades and tides of life and tossed hither and tether and you get washed up on the shore and are drying out and ready to meet an unwelcome end. But the savior who came wrapped in love and forgiveness came to pick you up and throw you back where you came from. You came from God who created you and breathed life into you and filled you with purpose and potential. Yes this Messiah, this Son of God, this lover of your soul came to pick you up and throw you back into the living water.
Tis the Season to be thankful and humbled by this great amount of love just for you. Tis the Season to celebrate such a life coming to you to give you life!!! You are loved with an everlasting love!
For many folks, "Tis the Season" of Advent. Thje word Advent comes from the Latin Advenio, "To come to," and thus refers to the coming of Christ. This refers, first of all, to our celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas; but second, to the coming of Christ in our lives through grace to the second coming at the end of time.
We are a blessed people because it "Tis the Season" to celebrate the coming of the savior of the world who came once and is with us each day and will return in his glory some day.
"Tis the Season" to know you count and that you are a gift unto him. You are so precious, look at the feeding trough, look at the cross and know you count!
May this season bring you the real meaning for why we celebrate this season.
MERRY CHRISTMAS COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS, Rev. Doug
