I remember when I was young, my dad would setup a camcorder on Christmas morning and video tape us kids running down the hall into the living room to open our gifts.  Oh, the excitement of it all.

The video camera my dad originally used has been obsolete now for about 15-20 years.  It recorded the video onto something called a “VHS” tape.  As the years went by, the camcorders changed (VHS to mini-VHS to Hi-8 to DVD to HD) and the video revealed something very interesting.  As I look at the gifts we received back then and compare with the gifts kids receive today, I see the transition into the technological age.

Technology has changed many other things about Christmas past.

Like those digital Christmas cards you can create on the computer.  Insert a picture of the family from your digital camera, enter in as many email address as you like, and press send.

Gone are the days of having to write a personal message on every paper card with an ink pen.  Gone are the days of having to buy Christmas stamps and sending a Christmas greeting and family photo by snail mail.

Amazon

And what about Amazon.com?  Amazon has changed the way many people do their Christmas present planning.  You create an account and start adding to your “wish list” or start buying for someone else.

• A new iphone (my old model is already obsolete because it doesn’t take videos and the internet connection is too slow).
• A blue-ray DVD player (“With Full HD 1080p output and the ability to decode the latest HD audio formats… for the ultimate entertainment experience.”)
• A new digital camera (with 10.2-megapixel, image stabilization and 10x optical zoom)

“Wish List”

Others can look at your “wish list” online at Amazon’s website so they know what to buy for you.  Or as Amazon words it, “to make sure it’s something you really want.”

Amazon might have perfected the “wish list” in past years, but they didn’t invent it.  Christmas wish lists have been around for a long time and no doubt technology will be at the top of most lists this December.

But putting aside all the technology and gadgets for a moment, we must not forget the real meaning of what Christmas is about.  We must never let technology stand in the way of our personal relationships with loved ones or distract from our focus on Christ.

Don’t be like the innkeeper who missed Jesus because he was too busy.  Turn off the cell phone for a while and power down the computer.  Make time for the Lord.

And don’t run your life like the Roman Empire, who missed Christmas because other gods took the place of Christ in their lives.  Put down the xbox and Wii, switch off the TV.  Allow nothing else to take the place of worshipping Jesus Christ.

On my wish list this year, “I wish you Jesus”, because when I wish you Jesus I wish you everything: joy and peace and forgiveness and salvation and abundance and purpose and prosperity and eternal life. When He’s the Lord of your life, His presence is all you need. It is my prayer that you not only connect with Jesus this Christmas season, but that you cling to him the rest of your life.

Christmas morning we will unwrap our presents, but eventually the novelty of it all will wear off.  The present that was once so precious to you will end up stuffed in the closet or handed off to someone else.  A newer version of your latest gadget will arrive that has more megapixels, or is smaller, or faster, or has better battery life.  In time, your Christmas gifts will mostly be forgotten.  But God has given us the ultimate gift—the gift of His Son Jesus Christ who will “save His people from their sins”.

Matthew 1:21-23, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Don’t miss Christmas this year.  As Watts and Handel once wrote, “Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room.”

What’s on your wish list this Christmas?

When I was in Aldergrove we decided as pastors to prepare a kindness to go bag that the church members could give to their neighbors and friends. And so in December, just before Christmas seemed like the perfect time, we gathered up all the items that we thought would be nice to have in this kindness to go bag.

We wanted the church members to be proud to give this gift away and so we included items for every member of the family. A bun of bread from Silver Hills, coloring book and crayons for the kids, $10 gift card from IGA, a coffee mug, some chocolate candy kisses, and much more that totaled about $25.00/bag (most was donated by church members or business).

We prepared 200 bags and put them up front of the church on the stairs and after church each family was allowed to take 2 bags to give away to a neighbor friend.

My wife and I decided to give one of the bags to a neighbor family with 3 kids and who’s dad worked for CTV television. We went to their home to give them the bag and no one was there so we hung the bag on the door with a little note, “Merry Christmas from your neighbors across the street”.

That day we left for a few days and when we arrived home, we noticed something hanging on our door knob. It was a bag with some coloring books for the kids, some Christmas chocolates and a note reading, “Merry Christmas from your neighbors across the street. Thanks for the gift.”

What an exciting thing that was to do. Every church member who took a bag or two received a blessing from giving it to someone else and everyone who received a bag was blessed with kindness.

We want to give each one of you the same opportunity to give a blessing and receive a blessing by providing each of your families with 2 kindness to go kits.

Each kit contains a coffee mug, a pocket version of Steps to Christ, some chocolate kisses, and a few more items with a meaning. These gifts are not for you but for you to give to one of your neighbors and to let them know that someone cares about them.

Merry Christmas from your neighbor across the street.