Do we deserve a good Christmas?

I’ve been thinking recently about we deserve. Or more probably I’ve been thinking about what I deserve. A rest? A nice big Christmas dinner – with lovely pigs in blankets and all the rest? Or a load of presents to open on Christmas morning?

But what about us generally – all of us, society?
A quick internet search reveals the spirit of the age – I literally got this within seconds of being online. Here’s the quote ‘You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live a life you are excited about. Don’t let others make you forget that.’

But my question is do we? Well, if we believe the marketing, and advertisers then the makeup people at L’Oréal famously tell us ‘You’re worth it’ - you do deserve it.

There is a problem though with feeling we deserve something.

Have you noticed that by the way? We don’t really ever THINK we deserve something – it is a much stronger, emotional response – no; instead, we FEEL we deserve something – the problem with it is that it steals away our gratitude.

If I am expecting it – feeling that it is my human right to a turkey dinner, and that I deserve a Christmas tree and all that comes with it then there are only 2 outcomes.

Firstly – I get it. I get what I deserve, and I am…relieved. A bit happy but mostly relieved.
Secondly – I don’t get it. Or it is not quite right. Then – even though some of it can be enjoyed – there is a bitterness. I SHOULD have had a nicer dinner, I SHOULD have had better presents, I SHOULD have had a better time with my family. I deserve it!

But… of course - the reserve is true. If we don’t FEEL as though we deserve something, or even anything – then everything more than nothing is a gift, and we ARE thankful.

There then is the problem with Christmas – we feel we deserve it – so it never properly satisfies.

But what I’d like to do now is to tell you, remind you, of 2 truths from the bible – that flip this perspective on its head – and correct our thinking.

WE DON’T DESERVE IT
The first verses I want to share are these from Romans 3.

‘As it is written: There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands; no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.’

You see L’Oréal have lied to us. You don’t deserve it and you aren’t worth it. I don’t deserve it and I’m not worth it. No one is. The world has got this utterly wrong – all this talk of deserving a good Christmas and deserving wonderful presents…is flawed. The God of the universe has considered our state and found us not to be deserving of much of anything at all apart from punishment.

BUT GOD GIVES ANYWAY
The second set of verses that we’ll think about are these from Luke 2, when the angels appeared to the shepherds on that first Christmas night. They said ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger’

Remember how God has weighed people from our first set of verses? Not worth it. Not deserving of anything…and yet, despite that, God chose to send Jesus – the Messiah, the Lord, the Saviour into the world. This is the biggest miracle of Christmas. More so than angels appearing, or a bright star above the stable, more than the virgin birth itself. The miracle is that God would gift his own Son to be the Saviour of people who do NOT deserve it.

So, Christmas cheer, and mulled wine, and carols and nativity plays and sherry?! Well, it’s not because we deserve it. All these things instead have their root in a celebration of thankfulness in a, astonishing, gift that is just that; a gift that we did not deserve; a Saviour who can rescue us from our sin and restore our relationship with the God who made us.

And knowing, not just thinking, but feeling that we don’t deserve Christmas? Well that only increases our thankfulness all the more, of a Saviour born to us

Happy Christmas everyone.