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In the old days, our family depended on my mother to provide us with her wonderful Czech Christmas baking. With my mother now gone, I became the baking Grandma. As I ventured to bake on my own, however, there came a point when I was reluctant to do so. Why bake, when butter and sugar were so unhealthy for me? I imagined my arteries clogging up with saturated fat. Sugar and chocolate simply gave me a headache, keeping me awake at night, and resulting in depressed thoughts and fuzzy thinking. Because of course, I would have to sample the delicious cookies myself!
My aha! moment came when I realized I was baking, not merely for myself, but for my family. The boys now count on perník, pracny, and rohličky in their Christmas tins. That is when baking Christmas cookies became not a chore, but a way to serve my family and bring them happiness.
“Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Philippians 2:4 NLT)
Jesus is our prime example of thinking about others rather than about ourselves. He was willing to give up His position and privileges in Heaven to save us from eternal separation from the Father.
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8 NLT)
In this season, we are reminded afresh that the real reason we have Christmas is that Jesus was born. We sing carols like “Hark the herald angels sing / Glory to the newborn King / Peace on earth and mercy mild / God and sinners reconciled.” We rarely go beyond the Baby in the manger, however, to consider the significance of his life and death.
When Jesus was on earth, He demonstrated how to be a servant. He always did what the Father requested of Him, and served people, often in surprising ways. He explained to the disciples that true greatness came not in having the highest positions in the Kingdom of God, but in serving others.
“Jesus said, 'But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.'” (Mark 10:43-45 NLT)
What are the implications for our lives? We have to choose our attitude. Our perspective has to be different. It's not “What I can get out of a certain action”, but “What can I give to others?” Serving others, giving to them, is the real essence of Christmas.
Lord, thank You that You took on a human form to demonstrate servanthood. Help us to follow Your example and serve others, this season and always. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Alice Burnette
Red Deer, Alberta, Edmonton
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