You have probably heard of the drunk who stumbles upon a baptism by a river. The minister turns to him and says, "Mister, are you ready to find Jesus?"
"Yes sir," he says.
The minister dunks him under the water and pulls him right back up.
"Have you found Jesus?"
"Nooo!"
After the third time he goes down for 30 seconds. "Have you found Jesus yet?"
The drunk wipes his eyes and says, "Are you sure this is where he fell in?"
I am reminded of Stephen Leacock’s discussion on humour where he says primitive men laughed at someone falling through a hole in the ice. The best part of the joke was if he didn’t come back up. How far have we evolved since then?
Surely the crown jewel of our civilization is the birth of Christ and the discovery of Jesus’ teachings. We hold so much more love and empathy in our hearts.
There is a Cloverton Christmas version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah which includes these words:
“I've heard about this baby boy
“Who's come to earth to bring us joy
“And I just want to sing this song to you…
“With every breath I'm singing Hallelujah…
“A couple came to Bethlehem
“Expecting child, they searched the inn…
“So in a manger filled with hay
“God's only Son was born, oh Hallelujah…
“The shepherds left their flocks by night
“To see this baby wrapped in light
“A host of angels led them all to You
“It was just as the angels said
“You'll find Him in a manger bed
“Immanuel and Saviour, Hallelujah
“Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah…”
And the song goes on. And the most wonderful part of Christmas is holding the baby in our arms and in our hearts.
As a grandfather I remember holding my first grandchild for more than an hour, sitting in peace and quiet, and contemplating the wonder of this little miracle that would grow and do wondrous things.
And I remember holding my firstborn in my hands and being filled with awe. A miracle made up of his parents and God’s marvellous mix of gifts and talents.
And now we can sit in wonder and awe and hold the Christmas baby in our hearts and in our arms and contemplate the real presence of Jesus. We can enjoy the peace and quiet and think of the wonderful ways we will share this with the world in the new year.
We can make this a reality. When we share with the poor, the sick, the refugees, and those we meet on the way, then Jesus is present. When we donate to a cancer fund or visit the sick or the aged, we are being Christ. We help those who we find along the way.
Life in 2017 has got to be exciting. Once we have found the Lord, life as a Christian has got to be the greatest opportunity to serve.
Our job is to “bring the good news to the afflicted,” to “bind up the broken hearted” (Isaiah 61:1). The world is looking to us and asking us if this is the Saviour. We can show them when we come to serve and not to judge.
We are the public relations officers of the Church of Christ. So it does not matter whether we come from the Seventh Day Adventist, Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, United… we are God’s Church, serving others.
