2021 Worship Guide

2021 Worship Guide LINCOLN DAILY NEWS December 1, 2021 Page 13 “It’s Christmas, for Heaven’s Sake!” My wife and I were snuggled up on the couch watching one of those wonderful, sappy, and predictably predictable holiday season movies when I heard that line. It was spoken in order to snap a grinchy character out of his sagging, less-than- enthusiastic yuletide attitude. I really have no idea why it lodged in my mind the way it did. (Well, other than the fact that I’ve been preaching long enough to have my radar always ‘on’ for a good theological “hook”!) Anyway, I’ve been mulling those words over ever since. “It’s Christmas for Heaven’s sake.” Really? Are you sure about that? What benefit could Heaven, the eternal abode of God Almighty, possibly expect to reap from the King of King’s plan to rescue the likes of us? Hopelessly lost. Heedlessly rebellious. Helplessly dead. Going to all the trouble to incarnate the eternal Son of God to live as a man, love as a leader and die as a savior seems terribly inequitable to me. Heaven doesn’t really get more than it gives up, does it? So, with the help of a good friend, I’ve tried to re-imagine the line with some other colloquial “sakes” that seem more appropriate. For instance, they could have said, “It’s Christmas for Pete’s sake.” That makes sense, right? It’s really the Petes and Pablos and Sallys and Suzettes that are getting the better end of the stick, right? Undeserving human beings are given an open-door invitation to never-ending peace? Yes, please! Or how about, “It’s Christmas for pity’s sake”? After all, when you’ve got nothing, which is exactly what we have to contribute spiritually, pity isn’t such a bad thing. God’s pity, born out of His never-failing love, extreme mercy, and amazing grace, swooped down into time and space to snatch us from certain Hell? Sign me up! Maybe even, “It’s Christmas for goodness’ sake” would be a good alternative. Again, think about it – we do have a serious “goodness” problem. Don’t we have to caution our children every year with melodic warnings about being “good for goodness’ sake” because they tend not A heavenly gift CONTINUE