Have you ever left the teapot boil till the water was all gone, or a sauce pan, perhaps in getting some hot water ready to make iced tea. Not much was left in the bottom of the pan...maybe just a burnt white ring?

Have you ever thought of boiling down Christmas? Mind you, I am not saying boiling away or doing away with Christmas. I am asking however if you have thought of reducing Christmas to the simplest of terms. What would describe Christmas if all the water was boiled away. What would it be if the bows and ribbons disappeared from the presents, and the wrapping paper, and the presents, and the tree, its lights, its cranberry strings, its tinsel, its ornaments, and even the star on the top...all gone...even the tree stand that we fight with to make the crooked trees stand up straight. And for the folks that have the perfectly straight, boxed trees, pre-lit trees, well for our consideration of boiling down Christmas, just leave that box in the attic. We are describing Christmas at its core level.

Could we live without that? And still have Christmas? Do those things make Christmas?

No special displays in the store. No wrapping paper aisles. No decoration aisles. No free gift wrapping centers. Just stores...business-as-usual stores. Not even the bell-ringers outside, and no coin pots hanging from bright red tripod stands. Not even long lines at the checkouts, when we have to make the quick trip to Walmart to get the items we need to cook for supper. Just business-as-usual stores.

Could we live life without those things? And still have Christmas? Do those things make Christmas?

Nobody wants to go here, but what if we did not even have time off work. No special family gatherings. No big meals. Leave the turkeys and the hams in the freezer this year. No need to pick up those two extra tubs of cool whip. The Date and Christmas puddings have not been made.

Have we totally lost our minds. Certainly now we have lost Christmas. Could we live like that? Well...you know some folks have to work on Christmas, having no family time, or special meals, certainly no homemade desserts. Nurses, Law enforcement, soldiers... Do they still have Christmas with work, and no family time, and an eat-on-the-run wrapped sandwich?

Certainly they do, and so could we, couldn't we?

What about our special church services? What if we boiled them away? Could we have Christmas without a children's play? Unthinkable! Or is it? We all probably could have done just fine without pastor preaching that 4 part Christmas series this year, but don't we need just one Christmas message to have Christmas? And...we do need candles and a candlelight service...It just would not be Christmas without them. Or would it?

What is Christmas in its simplest form? When all the stuff that does not really matter anyhow is completely boiled away.

Have you seen the recent TV commercial with the young lady doing a crossword puzzle and asks her mother for a 13 letter word, meaning "marriage proposal?" Only when her mother gets a puzzled look does she lift up her hand garnished with a diamond ring from behind the newspaper and exclaims, "He went to Jared."

Can we reduce Christmas to 15 letters, 13 letters...what about 11 letters. The eleven letters that we simply can not get away from when it comes to Christmas. Eleven letters in four one syllable words. Could we describe Christmas that way, without all the other trappings and events? Care to try with me?

GOD IS WITH US

GOD IS WITH US

There...does Christmas get any simpler than that? Can you make it any simpler than that? If you take away those letters, or any of them, certainly then you do not have Christmas.

The Holy God of Israel, clothed Himself in humanity and came to a REAL CITY, where there were REAL PARENTS, amazed over a REAL MANGER, when He cried REAL TEARS.

GOD IS WITH US

Those simple words are Christmas.

GOD IS WITH US

Those simple words changed history.

GOD IS WITH US

Those simple words change us.

When we realize we are lost. When we cry real tears over a real loss. When we do not know where to turn. When we face struggles and disappointment. We really need what is really Christmas. When we seek meaning to what seems to lack all sense. We really need what is really Christmas. When we are frightened or Confused we really need what is really Christmas.

GOD IS WITH US

"You shall call His name Emmanuel, which means...GOD IS WITH US" (Is.7:14) That is, and continues to be, CHRISTMAS!

*Used by permission, Excerpt, Christmas Eve program 2009, Pastor Ned Horsfall

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