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Sermon given First Baptist Church of Coshocton, Ohio, by Celeste Holwick
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December 25, 1988

                                                         1 Timothy 6:4-10

                       "A HARD-CORE CHRISTMAS"


I'd like to share with you a story I found in a recent church's
   newsletter.


                      MARY'S DREAM ABOUT CHRISTMAS
                      ============================
 
    I had a dream, Joseph.
    I don't understand it, but I think it was about
    A birthday celebration for our Son.
    I think that is what it was all about.

    The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks.
    They decorated the house and bought new clothes.
    They went shopping many times and bought elaborate gifts.
    It was peculiar, though, because the presents weren't for our Son.

    They wrapped them in beautiful paper and
    Tied them with lovely bows and stacked them under a tree.
    Yes, a tree, Joseph, right in their house.
    They decorated the tree also.

    The branches were full of glowing lights and sparkling ornaments.
    There was a figure on the top of the tree.
    It looked like an angel might look.
    Oh, it was beautiful.

    Everyone was happy and laughing.
    They were all excited about the gifts they gave each other,
    But there were none for our Son.
    I don't think they even knew Him.

    They never mentioned His name.
    It seems so odd for people to go through all the trouble
    To celebrate the birthday of someone they don't even know.
    I had the strangest feeling that if our Son

    Had gone to the celebration He would have been intruding.
    Everything was so beautiful, Joseph,
    And everyone was so full of cheer,
    But it made me want to cry.

    How sad for Jesus not to be invited or wanted
    At His own birthday celebration.
    I'm glad it was only a dream.
    How terrible it would have been, Joseph, if that were for real!

       (Author Unknown) *


How was your Birthday Party for Christ this morning?
   Would He have felt a little left out?
In my church I'm afraid I'm developing the reputation of being an old
   SCROOGE.
When we first came to our church in West Lafayette, the tradition was
   that at the annual children's Christmas Program the story of the
       birth of Christ was portrayed in one manner or another.
Then the climax of the evening:
   ...Jolly Old St. Nickolaus would come bounding down the aisle Ho Ho
      Hoing and passing our goodies to all the boys and girls.
Somehow this really bothered us.
It seemed that after all the effort and prayer that went into
   telling the true meaning of Christmas, it became worthless when
      Santa Claus arrived...
You KNOW what all the children remembered and they grew to anticipate
   this arrival each year when the pageant would FINALLY get over and
      be done with!!!
Well...we surprised them all the next Christmas and moved Santa down to
   the basement with the milk and cookies!!!
That seemed a little odd to some but they seemed to accept it alright
   until the next year when He never arrived at all and instead the
      three wise men handed out the candy down in the basement.

WELLLLLLL, you would have thought we were the grinches that stole
   Christmas.
A few children would ask where the old man was and we simply told them
   he could probably be found somewhere down at the plaza...
But it was the Older Children, the over thirty's who just could not
   understand, but they liked us well enough to take the good with the
       bad, and all was well until this year.
This year our church is undergoing some physical changes.
   There will be padded pews, new carpet and some fresh paint applied.
The painting was to begin in the small baptism area up front prior to
   Christmas.
This is where the Annual Christmas tree has always been.
To avoid the painting hassle it was moved to the back of the sanctuary.
   Many arrived the following Sunday and there was an undercurrent of:
      "OH NO!!!  There they go again!!!!"
Now believe it or not I'm not that bad.
We have in our living room the most gorgeous Christmas tree in the
   whole universe according to my children.
It has the usual tinsel, lights and as many bulbs as 15 month old Daniel
   will allow to remain on it.
Our children received an over abundance of gifts especially from their
   grandmas and were elated over them all.
And believe it or not we have even been known to read a book or two
   about that little man in the red suit!
I really do love Christmas and all the traditions that go with it.
But it does seem that the older I get, or maybe it's as I watch my
   children grow up and become aware of their surroundings -
- It really bothers me to see what our culture has done to destroy the
   true meaning of it all.
I know this is nothing new to you.
   But doesn't it make your skin crawl to see the indifference?

To watch the Christmas decorations and sales go up way back in September,
   all with the intent to get your royal dollar into the palm of their
      hands.
Many people actually plan ahead to be in debt at Christmas buying things
   they have no business buying.
I am not here to necessarily make you feel guilty about your over run
   Visa Bill.
But I want to show how this is just an indication of how very
   materialistic we have become.
The holiday season doesn't make us that way, instead it magnifies a
   problem that already exists.
We need to recognize that as Christians we are a part of this problem
   and we need to recognize what this does to us spiritually.
We are so discontented, miserable and spoiled.
I have listened with great fascination as I'm sure all of you have, to
   the testimonies of those who went to the Dominican Republic.
Especially when they tell of the people walking for hours in the heat
   just to get to church and then crowding in together as there is
      standing room only.
Then I look at our own churches who complain if the walk is not shoveled
   just so.
Or that they had to walk from down the street where they were finally
   able to find a place to park.
We cannot experience the fullest extent of God's blessing and joy as
   long as we allow ourselves to be burdened by our things or our
      desire for more.
Think of how influenced we are by advertisement, television, magazines
   and our neighbors.
I could give many examples but you've all heard and read about it
   before, and in the last few weeks you have known first hand just
      how strong that influence is to your children, and yourself.
All around you are promises and gimmicks to get the most out of life.

But if we want to get the most out of life, we must learn to give
   priority to those things that are really important.
We've destroyed Christmas because our values are out of place.
Even the best of us get caught up in it all and give Christ little
   notice.
And by the same merits we've destroyed our Christian walk and our
   witness.
By getting wrapped up in the world as we do, we become naturally
   discontent.
Because, you see, this material yearning never ends.
Whether you are rich striving or poor the problems all remain
   essentially the same.
A constant envy of others and the greed for more.
It simply goes on and on so you are never truly content and are always
   unhappy.
The Bible tells us about Joy, Peace and Happiness.
But We get our value systems so mixed up that we no longer know what it
   is that delivers that FUN that Christianity is suppose to be all
      about.

Paul share with us in Philippians that he has experienced what it is to
   have it all and what it is to be in need.
Yet he says that he has learned to be content no matter what the
   circumstance.
Now doesn't that make you sick.
That means that unlike me, Paul can walk into another persons beautiful
   home and not wish he were as lucky as they.
That means he doesn't drool over their antiques and envy their ability to
   decorate their home like Better Homes and Gardens.
Paul says that by focusing on the Lord, all else becomes meaningless.
   Paul has learned contentment.

Isn't that our objective in life?
Isn't that why we work these long hours away from our homes and families,
   to become eventually content.
Doesn't contentment mean getting all that we've ever wanted?
   See how confused our value system has become?
Apparently this problem is not something new to the 20th century.
It seems Paul addresses these same issues 2000 years ago when he speaks
   to young Timothy.
Turn with me now to 1 Timothy 6:4-10......and now verses 17-19.
Now it appears here that we fall into three categories:
             Those who are not rich.
             Those who are striving.
             Those who are Rich.
First he speaks to those who are not rich. (I can relate to this)
We not so rich folk are always feeling sorry for ourselves, because our
   husbands are merely factory workers, or mechanics or heaven forbid
      minister.
They are not high level executives bringing home high level paychecks.
   We look around at others and feel we deserve what they have.
After all it's only right....We are humans too.
We begin to see everything negatively.
   Our furniture, our clothes, everything becomes ugly in our eyes.
We spread our depression to those around us...those worthless spouses,
   homely children and smelly dogs.
Soon we become active witnesses of how little God really cares, and how
   unhappy our Christian life has become.
This was a real struggle for me a short while back.
I felt sure that it was God's will for the Holwick family to have a mini
   van.

Many of you know that when David and I first moved to Ohio there was
   just the two of us.
Then soon there was Rebecca, and shortly thereafter came Sarah and
   now last but not least we have little Daniel.
At first it was no big deal to travel around in our little red Honda.
   But as you can well imagine that became more difficult as time went
      on.
Because with our 3 little children we need 3 little car seats, and 3
   little bags to hold  all their little belongings.
And we would pack all this up and head out to grandma's house.
Unfortunately for us Grandmas house is not just over the river and
   through the woods.
Grandma lives 2000 miles that-a-way, or 800 miles that-a-way.
You can imagine that things got a little crowded and not just a little
   aggravating.
Of course the Lord wanted us to have a mini van.
   After all - To me everything pointed in that direction.
My family lives in Massachusetts and there most people are very well off.
My brothers own mini-vans, my own mother owns a mini-van and my two very
   best friends own them and swear there is no other vehicle for todays
      family needs.
My only problem was convincing my husband of Gods will in this area.
He seemed quite content with things as they were, and felt no need to get
   ourselves into debt over a simple luxury like that.
To me this was not a luxury but a must.
I had even heard that in these vans you could put the kids in the back
   and not hear their little bickerings.
We needed a mini van.
Within the year David's two closest friends,
   one from College and the other from seminary -
 - both very pious men, with fewer children mind you than the Holwicks,
      had purchased these vehicles for their own families.
Now, I thought surely the man will see that we were meant to have one.

Instead he threw lines at me much like I've been telling you about
   priorities, starving children in Ethiopia, and the simple fact that
      we did not need this luxury.
Not until then did I actually see how consumed I had become over this
   desire for something I really did not need.
I had grown to resent anybody who owned one or anything else that I felt
   I should have had.
It was a sickness.
I prayed for God's forgiveness and that He would fill this desire instead
   with the need to serve Him, and not myself.
And you know, it worked.
All of a sudden, there was plenty of room in that car, the noise level
   was no longer unbearable, and now I can look around at the same
      furniture, home and possessions I had before and be satisfied.
Even though they are the same old cruddy ones we had owned before!
Paul tells us that he has LEARNED to be content.
That alone tells us it is not something we are born with..instead it is
   something we have to work at.
Then he share with us here how to go about beginning that learning
   process.
First...he says...put everything into perspective of Eternity.
In Verse 7 he tells us "We have brought nothing into this world and we
   can take nothing out of it."
As Chuck Swindoll puts it we enter life empty handed and we leave the
   same way.
How often have you seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer behind?
Second...Paul says we need to learn a simple acceptance of what is
   essential.
In verse 8 it says "If we have food and covering with these we shall be
   content."
To have food to eat something to wear and a roof over our head are
   essentials.

Anything beyond that is in a sense just extra.
   It is not our inalienable right to have it all.

The next type or category would be the STRIVERS.
   Those who want to get rich.
This is somebody that just cannot rest until he or she becomes affluent.
   A title of YUPPIE would be our 1980's equivalent here.
These upwardly mobile young professionals argue that happiness results
   from gaining financial success for self.

The April 1980 FORTUNE magazine carried an article called "On a Fast
   Track to the Good Life."
In it they described the goals, motives and objectives of these young
   people.
Their research described them as:

    1.  Believing that success in life means financial independence
          and the best way to gain it is to be at the top of a major
          corporation.
    2.  Believing in themselves.  There is no "Humble talk" among
          them.
    3.  Believing that any relationship that slows down their climb
          up the corporate ladder as expendable.
        Citing why marriages and family life are of minimal
          importance to them.
    4.  Loyalty is not of high importance on their list of values.
           They move about with resume in hand prepared to move on if
           things don't move up.
    5.  They are convinced that they are more creative and
          imaginative then those "Old Geesers" now holding positions of
          top corporate offices.

These kinds of attitudes don't fit in very well scripturally.
Jesus would surely say to them "For what does it profit a man, if he
   should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

In Timothy, Paul issues a bold warning to these people.
Verse 9 says: "For those who want to get rich, beware of the snare, the
   temptations that have and will bring many to destruction."
And in verse 10 he says, "The Love of money is a root of all sorts of
   evil."
Money is not evil.
Nor is the love of money the root of all evil,
   - but it is a basis of all kinds of evil.
Paul also warns that it can hurt them spiritually -
   "They wander from the faith".
And that it can hurt you personally when he says at the end of verse 10:
   "They encounter many griefs."
Paul doesn't say here not to strive, if that is your gift then go ahead.
Make money, become doctors and lawyers, but don't make that your primary
   objective in life.

Remember the guidelines...
   put it in perspective of eternity.
What good are your titles and offices doing for those around you, will
   what you're doing be missed after you are gone?

Tony Campolo shares in one of his books an experience from his church.
Each year during semester break, their college students are asked to
   share how their educational experiences have been going.
After half a dozen students had stood up the pastor began to speak.
     "Children," he said, "You are going to die....(Tony Campolo, p.58)"
In perspective of eternity, does what you are doing really matter?

The third category are the rich.
   Those who have been blessed with prosperity.
These people are struggling with their own unique battles.
   Being rich does not make you suspect or guilty in God's eyes.
Some of the godliest biblical characters were exceedingly prosperous:
   Job, Abraham, Joseph, Solomon, David, Philemon and Lydia to name but
       a few.
You know if you are wealthy legally or illegally and this is where you
   need to dwell initially.
If your wealth comes from hard work, honest dealing and wise planning,
   you have nothing to be ashamed of.
Instead you have a big responsibility to be a wise servant of what God
   has entrusted into your care.

Verses 17 -19 speaks to this group.
   First don't be conceited, or high-minded.
Consider yourself no better than the rest, as you would and will be like
   them if and when you should lose these riches.
Next, Paul says not to trust in your wealth for security.
   Money has a way of sprouting wings and flying away.
And we all know deep inside that money does not bring lasting
   satisfaction.
Last he tells us to be generous.
This may sound easy, you simply write an occasional generous check, watch
   the people marvel at your generosity and feel you've done your part.
But I believe he is asking for more than that.
   It says to be rich in good deeds, then it says to be generous and to
      share.
To be rich in good deeds requires more.
   It calls for your active involvement.
It may mean not just sending money overseas but perhaps supporting
   yourself in a short or long term mission program.
Don't be so quick to give of your money when it is your time and your
   efforts that are needed.

During his life on earth Jesus frequently talked about those things that
   kept people from a meaningful relationship with God.
One of the barriers is money.
   It need not be but it often is.
He taught that we need to be on guard against every form of greed, since
   life really doesn't consist of the things we possess.
He also said "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
But the key verse we can point to in all his teaching on this subject
   says it all:  "you cannot serve both God and Money."
Where do you fit into these three categories of people that Paul
   describes in 1 Timothy?
Are you taking any steps to change your habits?

Try praying specifically that the Lord Jesus Christ might be the Master
   of your money:
   The Master of how you earn it,
   where you spend it,
   when and to what you give it, and
   why you save and invest it.
The time for making New Year resolutions is coming up fast
   ...Try making Christ the Lord of your treasure.

________________________________________________________________________

*Celeste put only a reference to "read the poem" here but 14 years later
 a pastor read this sermon on the internet and emailed me the words.
 My thanks go to Rev. Perry Williams, pastor of the First Baptist Church of 
 Alto Pass, Illinois.