Center Figure.

Think back to when you were 8. Imagine it's your birthday celebration and all your friends are there. Now it's time to open gifts so everybody begins exchanging presents with each other. Did you catch that? Yeah, they exchange gifts for each other. You get nothing accept a speech about how good you are, and they sing a few songs praising your birth. How would that make you feel?

Well... it's what most of America do on a day set aside to celebrate Christs birth. Interesting enough, America also has a pretty standard birthday procedure, so how did we get so far away from the birth day tradition when it comes to Jesus?

I once heard a dad ask his daughter what she could get Jesus for his birthday. She cutely replied, "my heart" and then the family partook in the average (if not above average) $780 spending on each other! How do you think that little girl would like getting hearts from her friends and family on her birthday, but nothing else? Now, I'm all about giving up our hearts, but it takes action to truly give ourselves away. It's not just verbal. It takes all of our time, money and energies.

Now God's not 8, so He's not pitching any fits if you don't get Him anything. He doesn't need you or your gifts (Acts 17:25). He does want you, however (1 Tim 2:4). He wants you to give unto Him. But He's looking for everyday to be His birthday celebration. You know, treat Him like it's His birthday...everyday. Praise Him, spend time with Him, get to know Him better, give Him something. He does want gifts or He wouldn't have commanded us to give to Him.

Here's the Diagello, the proclamation of some good news. You can get Jesus something tangible for His birthday! Quit being Santa for each other and your children and start being Santa for Christ. Take Him on your lap in the form of your Bible's Gospel's and ask "what do you want?". No lie, He'll reply. Probably in red letters. Here's a few things He asked of me tonight: pray for those who mistreat me, give to everyone who asks and treat others the way I want to be treated (Luke 6).


I'll help jump start your new Christmas mission. Give to Jesus. Give tangible. Let Christmas day be a launching pad for how you'll live the rest of your life. Give to the least of these. If you don't know how, ask your kids, they're full of faith. I asked my 8 year old tonight, "what should we do for Jesus this Christmas" (you might have to inform them that caring for poor people is caring from Christ). Without a hesitation He said, "feed the hommies". That's his way of saying, "let's help Burton with the weekly homeless feed in Asheville". So hommies it is this year. We'll be giving Christ a warm meal on a cold day. Maybe we'll even mix up some fudge to pass around.