(ADVENT 5) Unwrapping Christmas: Excitement

The Scriptures teach us that Mary and Joseph "marveled" at what was said about their son, our Savior. Our recognition of the presence of our Lord can produce a sense of excitement deep within us. Jesus said in John 5:
(19) "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

Mary, as the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, the man who was chosen to serve as His earthly father, were immersed in a glorious experience and saw incredible acts of God up close, which no doubt produced a sense of excitement within them. Our Savior, His very nature, is resident in our hearts, yet we have to be careful that we don't tamp down that joy and excitement that He desires to produce.  He has gifted us with the excitement of knowing Him and walking with Him each day.

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We are continuing our journey through this year's Faith Radio Advent Guide, "25: A Christmas Advent-ure," with the theme, Unwrapping Christmas, and we come now to Day 5.  The previous two entries in the guide, the previous two gifts, are: SATISFACTION (for Day 3) and HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS (for Day 4).

Regarding our satisfaction in Christ, we go back to the words of Mary in Luke chapter 1...verse 53 says: "He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty."  This is a great reminder of what we can experience - a sense of satisfaction - when we are allowing Christ's life to flow through us. 

We then go to the words of Zechariah, after a time of being mute because he had originally doubted the angel's proclamation that he and his wife would be the parents of the one who would be known as John the Baptist.  You could say that God did a work in his heart, and He grasped the significance of not 
only his own son, but the Messiah who would also come, the One who, in His own holiness and righteousness, made us right with God and gave us the ability to walk in His holiness. In Luke 1, verses 74 and 75, he states:
74 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

Now, we come to Day 5, and the gift we will "unwrap" today is EXCITEMENT. The Christmas narrative has numerous characters who possessed and exhibited a sense of excitement over the coming of the Messiah. One of those was Simeon, who proclaimed in Luke chapter 2:
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."

Following those statements, we can read this verse:

33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.

We can examine our own hearts and make sure that we maintain a sense of wonder about the presence of Jesus, and that we can marvel at who He is and what He has done for us.

Just a week and a half ago, we celebrated a day of Thanksgiving, and one of the meaningful images of a Thanksgiving meal is found in a subway car in New York City.  CBS News reported: "A Brooklyn woman invited all of New York City to her Thanksgiving dinner this week, setting up a whole meal inside a subway car to feed strangers." 

The story noted that there had been a number of "videos circling online" documenting the feast.  The story notes: "Brandi Baxter, a single mom of three from East New York, is the chef behind it all. She was involved in a similar stunt with a group of friends back in 2019." Apparently, she and her kids "...loaded the food, table, and settings at the Livonia Avenue station, and then took the L train all the way to Union Square, where they set up the table. That's when everyone on the train was invited for dinner."

This time last year, Baxter and her kids were homeless - this year, they were giving back. Her son, Aziah, said: "You should always give back, no matter what you have, or even if you have a dollar or a quarter, always give it to a person in need." Baxter donated the leftovers to a community center, and she made a clothing donation to a church in the area.

That story does not make mention of a Christian faith motivation, but it can certainly be an example of the excitement that we can have because of our love for God and the resulting excitement to serve Him and serve others.

For the Christian, the excitement of knowing Jesus and responding to and in His love can motivate us to reach out to others and spread that love. I think of the annual Thanksgiving Dinner, prepared in the Auburn/Opelika area by Harvest Evangelism. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Pastor Rick Hagans posted on Facebook:

The tent is up. 200 turkeys cooked. Dressing and sides prepared. 250 pies sliced. Even the weather has cooperated with forecasts of clear skies and mild weather for tomorrow night and Thanksgiving. All we need is for y’all to join us. Tomorrow night at (6pm) we’ll all sit down for a Thanksgiving supper and a chance to share thanks. We’d love to have you join us. Then on Thanksgiving morning (8AM) we’ll be back under the Big Top at Lakeview. This time we’ll be plating 2,500 Thanksgiving meals.

And, Baptist Press reported on a Thanksgiving celebration in Portugal that was put on by two Southern Baptist missionaries, Jonathan and Bethany Sharp, with the assistance of volunteers from Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Ft. Worth, Texas. The article reports:

The Sharps hosted their first Thanksgiving in Portugal nine years ago when they were in language school. They used it to meet their neighbors and practice Portuguese. With each passing year, the event grew larger with teams from churches in the U.S. coming to help. It became a way to share the gospel in a non-threatening way and mentor local believers.

This year, the team from Travis Avenue made it possible to take the festivities outside of their home and church, Igreja Baptista Vida Nova. They partnered with small groups and four church plants to host the cultural exchange in different locations.

Bethany Sharp is quoted as saying: "In one week, we can get more contacts of those open to gospel conversations than we can going out every day for a year on our own," adding, “This is an opportunity to be hospitable and be [Christ’s] hands. Talking about culture and food is a great way to connect.”

Around 370 people were fed in the outreach, and the article says that over half of them were unchurched.

Thanksgiving can motivate you to do wonderful things.  And, although I have given examples of outreaches surrounding Thanksgiving Day, the principle is that as we realize who God is and what He has done for us, that can produce an excitement for Him that will result in worship, and result in a display of that excitement to people around us.

Christians should ideally be excited about our Savior and the message that He has brought to the world. We can be excited that He has chosen us to communicate that message. Because Christ has changed our lives, that inward change can produce an external, visible manifestation of His love and glory.