THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS (1 OF 4)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Galatians 4:1-7
This content is part of a series.
The Gift of Forgiveness (1 of 4)
Series: The Perfect Gift
Jeff Strite
Galatians 4:1-7
OPEN: Here it is the first week of December and people are already getting into the Christmas spirit. They're decorating their homes, putting up Christmas trees and mistletoe and holly... and Christmas lights all over the place.
We Americans are so used to our traditions of the season that we sometimes don't realize that other nations don't always do things the way we do.
For example, in Italy they don't have Christmas trees; instead they decorate small wooden pyramids with fruit.In Caracas (the capital city of Venezuela) it is customary for the streets to be blocked off on Christmas Eve so that the people can roller-skate to church. In Yugoslavia, on the 2nd Sunday before Christmas, children creep in and tie their mother's feet to a chair, shouting 'Mother's Day, Mother's Day, what will you pay to get away?' She then gives them presents. Children play the same trick on their father the following week and get more presents.And in Britain it is a Christmas tradition to make a wish while mixing the Christmas pudding, but the wish will only come true if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise fashion.(From a sermon by Bruce Rzengota, on sermoncentral.com)
But Japan has perhaps the most American style of Christmas... because they borrowed it from us. They put up decorations, exchange presents, send cards, sing yuletide songs, decorate trees, serve special seasonal treats and make a big fuss over St Nick, Rudolph and Frosty. But there is one distinct difference from our American Christmas... they don't honor Jesus. Why not? Because Japan is 99% Shinto and Buddhist in their religion. Only ½ of 1 % of their people claim to be Christians.The Japanese are attracted to the glitter and romance of the American version of Christmas, and have adopted nearly everything except the real reason for the season.
(from an illustration by Robert Leroe)
Galatians 4:4 tells us tha ...
Series: The Perfect Gift
Jeff Strite
Galatians 4:1-7
OPEN: Here it is the first week of December and people are already getting into the Christmas spirit. They're decorating their homes, putting up Christmas trees and mistletoe and holly... and Christmas lights all over the place.
We Americans are so used to our traditions of the season that we sometimes don't realize that other nations don't always do things the way we do.
For example, in Italy they don't have Christmas trees; instead they decorate small wooden pyramids with fruit.In Caracas (the capital city of Venezuela) it is customary for the streets to be blocked off on Christmas Eve so that the people can roller-skate to church. In Yugoslavia, on the 2nd Sunday before Christmas, children creep in and tie their mother's feet to a chair, shouting 'Mother's Day, Mother's Day, what will you pay to get away?' She then gives them presents. Children play the same trick on their father the following week and get more presents.And in Britain it is a Christmas tradition to make a wish while mixing the Christmas pudding, but the wish will only come true if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise fashion.(From a sermon by Bruce Rzengota, on sermoncentral.com)
But Japan has perhaps the most American style of Christmas... because they borrowed it from us. They put up decorations, exchange presents, send cards, sing yuletide songs, decorate trees, serve special seasonal treats and make a big fuss over St Nick, Rudolph and Frosty. But there is one distinct difference from our American Christmas... they don't honor Jesus. Why not? Because Japan is 99% Shinto and Buddhist in their religion. Only ½ of 1 % of their people claim to be Christians.The Japanese are attracted to the glitter and romance of the American version of Christmas, and have adopted nearly everything except the real reason for the season.
(from an illustration by Robert Leroe)
Galatians 4:4 tells us tha ...
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