Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

Missing Jesus
by Tom Goodman
December 22, 2010

Join Us at Our Christmas Eve Service!
Friday Evening, December 24, 6:00 p.m.

Jesus was missing, and for a few days Chicago was in an uproar.

A few years ago, someone nabbed the figurine of the infant Jesus from a life-sized nativity, a hand-carved Italian masterpiece given as a gift to the people of Chicago. For days, local newscasts began their programming with comments from an angry mayor, assurances from a police chief that the case would be solved, and emotional pleas from the Nativity committee to return the irreplaceable artwork.

Then, without explanation, the baby Jesus was found. The fine work of art was found in an unlikely setting: a locker at the bus depot. The infant was returned to the manger, safely strapped down with metal straps, and protected by guards.

It sure sounds like there's a lesson in that news story. As you count down to Christmas, is Jesus missing?

I'm asking this of those who claim Christian convictions. I know that about a third of Americans deliberately celebrate a Christmas without relation to Jesus, according to a new LifeWay Research report. But right now my mind is more on those who will miss Jesus this season not by design but by default.

By default? Sure. We can let the demands of the season crowd out the reason for the season. From crowded malls to noisy office parties to lines at the post office to the gauntlet of TSA screenings standing between us and our flight home -- well, in the midst of it all, we may find that Jesus is missing.

So, be sure and turn your thoughts to God's great gift to us: Immanuel, God with us. In your family gatherings, pause long enough to read the Christmas story from Luke 2. Or defer to Linus by popping in a DVD of A Charlie Brown Christmas if you're too shy to lead a public Scripture reading. If you're in town on Christmas Eve, join us at Hillcrest at 6:00 p.m. for a 45-minute kid-friendly service. Tune to some music that honors Christ's birth. Get ready for some redemptive conversations by reading Lee Strobel's The Case for Christmas. These are some ways to make much of Jesus this season.

Let's make sure that the pressures of the holiday don't rob Jesus from our heart!

--Tom

Forward this edition of Winning Ways on to a friend!

Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them at www.HillcrestAustin.org/beacon.

Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored," with its Links to Your World -- interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday.

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Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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Missing Jesus by Tom Goodman December 22, 2010 Join Us at Our Christmas Eve Service! Friday Evening, December 24, 6:00 p.m. Jesus was missing, and for a few days Chicago was in an uproar. A few years ago, someone nabbed the figurine of the infant Jesus from a life-sized nativity, a hand-carved Italian masterpiece given as a gift to the people of Chicago. For days, local newscasts began their programming with comments from an angry mayor, assurances from a police chief that the case would be solved, and emotional pleas from the Nativity committee to return the irreplaceable artwork. Then, without explanation, the baby Jesus was found. The fine work of art was found in an unlikely setting: a locker at the bus depot. The infant was returned to the manger, safely strapped down with metal straps, and protected by guards. It sure sounds like there's a lesson in that news story. As you count down to Christmas, is Jesus missing? I'm asking this of those who claim Christian convictions. I know that about a third of Americans deliberately celebrate a Christmas without relation to Jesus, according to a new LifeWay Research report. But right now my mind is more on those who will miss Jesus this season not by design but by default. By default? Sure. We can let the demands of the season crowd out the reason for the season. From crowded malls to noisy office parties to lines at the post office to the gauntlet of TSA screenings standing between us and our flight home -- well, in the midst of it all, we may find that Jesus is missing. So, be sure and turn your thoughts to God's great gift to us: Immanuel, God with us. In your family gatherings, pause long enough to read the Christmas story from Luke 2. Or defer to Linus by popping in a DVD of A Charlie Brown Christmas if you're too shy to lead a public Scripture reading. If you're in town on Christmas Eve, join us at Hillcrest at 6:00 p.m. for a 45-minute kid-friendly service. Tune to some music that honors Christ's birth. Get ready for some redemptive conversations by reading Lee Strobel's The Case for Christmas. These are some ways to make much of Jesus this season. Let's make sure that the pressures of the holiday don't rob Jesus from our heart! --Tom Forward this edition of Winning Ways on to a friend! Beacon Articles Available Online: The staff newsletters that appear each week in the Beacon are also available on our website. You can find them at www.HillcrestAustin.org/beacon. Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored," with its Links to Your World -- interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.