a little note from Jesus

Dear loved ones:
As you well know, we are getting closer to my birthday. Every year
there
is a celebration in my honor and I think that this year the
celebration
will be repeated. During this time there are many people shopping for
gifts, there are many radio announcements, TV commercials, and in
every
part of the world everyone is talking that my birthday is getting
closer
and closer.

It is really very nice to know, that at least once a year, some people
think of me. As you know, the celebration of my birthday began many
years
ago. At first people seemed to understand
and be thankful of all that I did for them, but in these times, no one
seems to know the reason for the celebration. Family and friends get
together and have a lot of fun, but they don't know the meaning of the
celebration.

I remember that last year there was a great feast in my honor. The
dinner
table was full of delicious foods, pastries, fruits, assorted nuts and
chocolates. The decorations were exquisite and there were many, many
beautifully wrapped gifts. But, do you want to know something? I
wasn't
invited. I was the guest of honor and they didn't remember to send me
an
invitation. The party was for me, but when that great day came, I was
left
outside, they closed the door in my face .... and I wanted to be
with them and share their table.

In truth, that didn't surprise me because in the last few years all
close
their doors to me. Since I wasn't invited, I decided to enter the
party
without making any noise. I went in and stood in a corner. They were
all
drinking; there were some who were drunk and telling jokes and
laughing at
everything. They were having a grand time. To top it all, this big fat
man
all dressed in red wearing a long white beard entered the room yelling
Ho-Ho-Ho! He seemed drunk. He sat on the sofa and all the children ran
to
him, saying: "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" .. as if the party were in his
honor!

At 12 Midnight all the people began to hug each other; I extended my
arms
waiting for someone to hug me and . do you know ... no one hugged me.
Suddenly they all began to share gifts. They opened them one by one
with
great expectation. When all had been opened, I looked to see if,
maybe,
there was one for me.



What would you feel if on your birthday everybody shared gifts and you
did
not get one? I then understood that I was unwanted at that party and
quietly left.

Every year it gets worse. People only remember to eat and drink, the
gifts, the parties and nobody remembers me. I would like this
Christmas
that you allow me to enter into your life. I would like that you
recognize
the fact that almost two thousand years ago I came to this world to
give
my life for you, on the cross, to save you. Today, I only want that
you
believe
this with all your heart.

I want to share something with you. As many didn't invite me to their
party, I will have my own celebration, a grandiose party that no one
has
ever imagined, a spectacular party.

I'm still making the final arrangements. Today I am sending out many
invitations and there is an invitation for you. I want to know if you
wish
to attend and I will make a reservation for you and write your name
with
golden letters in my great guest book. Only those on the guest list
will
be invited to the party. Those who don't answer the invite, will be
left
outside.

Be prepared because when all is ready you will be part of my great
party.

See you soon.
I Love you!
Jesus

I just wanted to share this with as many people as I could.......I find it very interesting and touching.......I will definately be inviting Jesus to my party. God Bless all of you this holiday season and keep you in good health......

yes, we will make him a birthday cake! he likes chocolate :-)

Thank you Scoobysuey, we do tend to forget the spiritual side of this celebration, what with all the gift buying and wrapping, the food ,and the decorations.
Sometimes it feels like we have failed if we haven't done all the things we intended to do.
I long for simpler celebrations, where I can worship God and rejoice about His coming to us,
without having to worry about all these other things that are not important.
Josephine.

Scoobysuey, I am not a religious person, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in SOMETHING. I have trouble with this thing about God, but until we have seen him or her for ourselves it is always difficult to know just what or who he is, not that I don't believe there isn't a power much greater than ourselves, I have to admit there is too much smoke to be no fire.
I was impressed with your story, but at the same time felt a little hurt for all those people excluded from the party and so called 'left out in the cold.' Not all of those people are responsible for their actions, and not all have the opportunity to have the great big celebrations and over extravagant self-indulgence.

What happened to the God who is supposed to be all forgiving? One who does not discriminate? One who places no human being above or below another?

Many of us are seeing and feeling the unfairness and inequality of this world, no matter who we are, and many of us do care about the world and it's inhabitants, not only human but all animals as well.

Sometimes a misunderstanding of others views on life and religion can be a little insulting to others, this is why we have so many pulling in so many different directions.

How many of us hurt at the way the world is hurting itself, we are it's keepers and should look after all concerned. Unfortunately that is easier said than done.

I agree that at least once a year all would benefit to reflect on their mortality and be humbled, the story does make one think, but only perhaps those who are already capable of thinking.

Merry Xmas to All

Thank you for this reminder that he is the reason for the season, and with out Christ there would be no Christmas.

Mitch

wallaby, I think you answered your own question. "but only perhaps those who are already capable of thinking".

Many people choose not to think about the big picture, and they are and will be out in the cold in many ways.

At the risk of religious debate, God does discirmininate. As should we all. Not based on superficial things, but because we HAVE the gift of reason, we are expected to USE it. To pretend we are all helpless victims may be comforting, but it's not true.

And the story is NOT about extravagance and self indulgence, it's about thinking, as you yourself have observed.

Hi, yes I do realise the story is not about extravagance and self indulgence totally, but there is an element of it there. I don't presume to know how everyone else on this planet has been moulded, but I do feel that many have not had the opportunity to see another way. Should we not lead by example?

What we call our gift of reason maybe be totally different to someone else's. It is a dangerous presumption to think that our own views are always the right ones. Hopefully we live by what is right and wrong. In my mind are those who have had different beliefs installed into their minds from a very early age, whether it be from a dictatorship or just an unfortunate upbringing. How can this be their downfall, as human beings they can only know what they have been led to believe.
There are many cases of people seeing a different way given the chance. Those of us fortunate enough to have had a good upbringing could have easily been in these peoples shoes. I always try to place myself in another persons shoes and wonder what it must be like for them, and the benefit of the doubt I feel is the safest assumption.

I was recently emailed from Germany, someone just wanting some information on growing as I had left a comment on a palm site. I started communicating with this person, and it emerged he had an enormous guilt due to the fact that his father was a 'submarine driver' in the war. I tried to put his guilt at rest, and tried to imagine what it must have been like, here was the son of a man who was doing his job as he was expected to for his country. We really don't know what he felt, how it was then, and what his choices were. Have I not heard that we must forgive 'for they know not what they do'?

Agreed, we must be aware of the dangers, and surely must protect ourselves from these, but discrimination I feel has no real place in a world needing to unite. But then it depends on how you view what discrimination is. Food for thought?

Very lovely, scooby. Thanks for sharing.

This year, Christmas lands on a Sunday. We were planning on spending the day with my husband's family. They are not churchgoers. They always have a big breakfast at 8 and then they open gifts. We asked them how we should work it this year because our church starts at 10 and my MIL looked at me in disbelief..."You mean...they're MAKING you go to church on CHRISTMAS??!!?" We reminded her what Christmas was SUPPOSED to be about. hahaha

On another note, my church asked my son to be the baby Jesus for the pageant. Now how often does THAT happen??? I was just so thrilled...I'm sharing a picture.

cj...what an amazing thing to have your son in the christmas pageant!!! And what a role!!!! Congrats on that and Have a wonderful christmas service........

Thank you all for looking in......and for your thoughts.......

Religious discussions always seem to turn out as disagreements. Hope this thread won't. But I would like to offer my take on what wallaby1 said.

Believing in "God" is quite common. But Christmas is not about a Father God. It's about the Savior Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus.

The birth of Jesus brought God to earth. I guess if you don't believe Jesus was God in the flesh, then there's no reason to celebrate Christmas. You would celebrate "the holidays". If one thinks Jesus was merely a prophet, or a Rabbi, or just a very good person, then he would not be able to say he's a Christian. Because he would not believe that Jesus was who He said He was. He said "I and the Father are One" and "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father".

CS Lewis was a brilliant Christian writer who said that Jesus cannot be just a teacher or even a good person if He is just a man. Because if Jesus is not who He said He was, then he would be a lunatic, or a liar, or something worse, comparable to a worm. But if He IS who He said He was, then we have no choice but to bow down and worship Him as God. There's really no other choice.

So it all comes down to what you believe about Jesus, not whether you believe there's a God. Who was Jesus, that His birth has been celebrated for almost 2000 years? And that time was split into two chunks....before Him and after Him? His birth, life and death totally changed the world. Who else in history has ever made such an impact? No one.

So if someone looks to Jesus as God on earth, and to His suffering and death as a means to forgiveness and love for us and cleansing for our souls, and to His Resurrection as a promise of eternal life in Heaven, then he can call himself a Christian and celebrate Christmas as it was intended.

Unfortunately, there are very many people who do not share that belief, and they are the ones who are left out of the party. Not because God is unforgiving, or because they are bad folks or being discriminated against. But because they have not accepted the invitation to come to Christ. He said He will turn no one away who earnestly seeks Him. It may not be what some people want to hear, but it is what the Bible teaches. It is what Jesus taught, and His disciples have been passing along for centuries.

I think I can say these things with certainty because I'm a Christian who has studied the Bible for years, as many other folks here have. I sincerely hope no one will be offended by what I have said,

And thank you for giving me the opportunity to say it, scoobysuey.

Tamara- was thinking about your chocolate cake. I was wondering what kind of birthday candles you'd put on there...there's so many to choose from anymore: musical candles, trick candles, candles with the numbers on them, candles connected to each other for quicker lighting, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions what kind of candles should be used on Jesus' chocolate birthday cake?? hahahaha

Cheryl

Dear Nap, thank you for explaining it so well, I wanted to say something too, but didn't have the words to say it so eloquently.
Josephine.

Nap ~ Yes, Well stated! ~ Suzi :)

Nap, you stated the truth so clearly that it would be hard to not understand.

I heard a minister on TV compare the plan of salvation to someone who sold everything they owned on this earth and bought someone they love a gift it was well know the person wanted. But when the gift was presented, the recipient said "oh no, I can't take that. Thank you so much but I just can't ." The giver says, "you don't understand. I gave up everything to get this gift for you. I really want to give this to you." Again the recipient refuses to accept the gift and suggests that the gift be offered again later. By now the gift giver is upset and says so. In fact, insulted almost beyond words. But still the gift is there for the taking. That is how we are treating JESUS when we reject HIS plan of salvation. It is a slap in HIS face when we don't believe in HIM. But HE is longsuffering and forgiving and will accept us any time we make the choice to just believe in HIM and trust HIM to reveal HIMSELF to us thru HIS WORD and life itself. Salvation is a process of daily growth. Just as we are born little babies in our bodies, when we decide to accept JESUS as our savior and repent and walk away from our sins we are babies in the spiritual lives. We start our taking baby size steps and increase in maturity and wisdom in our walk with JESUS. All you have to do is decide to believe that JESUS is who HE said HE is.

CJ, BEAUTIFUL PICTURE!

and what an honor. your mil is too funny! i am a little disappointed that we will only have evening service at church, but it is a small church and our leaders could use a little break.

nope, no candles! just a big chocolate cake with white icing, guess i forgot to mention that part.

now to catch up on the discussion... ;-)

tf

God is love .. he does forgive us.. He never leaves us or forsake us. But by his grace go I.? The biggest gift we can give is to Love, understanding, compassion..We can't let atheist's or anyone who does not believe to take anything away from us, we just must continue to have and keep our faith in him.Christmas is love he gave us all the most beautiful gift his life!!!
twyla


edit typing errors


This message was edited Dec 23, 2005 6:48 PM

While the discussion is about Christmas and Jesus is the reason for the season I would like to share this "letter from Jesus" a friend sent me today. She said it was on a Christmas card she received.
IF YOU LOOK FOR ME AT CHRISTMAS,
you won't need a special star--I'm no
longer just in Bethlehem, I'm right there where you are. You may not be aware of Me amid the celebrations-you'll
have to look beyond the stores and all
the decorations. But if you take a moment from your list of things to do
and listen to your heart, you'll find
I'm waiting there for you. You're the one I want to be with, you're the reason
that I came, and you'll find Me in the
stillness as I'm whispering your name.
Love, Jesus

Thank you all for sharing your feelings with us.......When I start a thread, I look to share something with you that I found meaning in.........or have an interest in.......I NEVER mean to start a debate, or a discussion that is unhappy......It seems that sometimes I should have kept my nose out of it........I hope also that this thread has done more good than bad.......Thank you all......Have a safe and happy new year.......