In the 7 months since my mom passed away I have been greatly encouraged to see in my dad’s behavior and attitude a number of signs suggesting that he’s doing very well in light of his great loss. One of the positive signs I’ve noticed is a newfound openness to trying new things.

During a recent visit with him, I was talking with a neighbor, Jim, who has been very attentive to my dad throughout this whole difficult process and he commented on my dad’s sudden openness to all things new. He told me that my dad had recently gone with him and his wife to a Japanese restaurant…something my dad would never have considered doing previously…and that he absolutely loved the food. In fact, he loved it so much that they had taken him back a couple of times and it’s now become one of his favorite restaurants. I was flabbergasted, but pleasantly so.

So, later that day when my dad asked me where we should go for dinner, I said, “Why don’t you introduce me to your new favorite restaurant?”

He said, “My new favorite restaurant? Which one’s that?”

I said, “The one Jim told me about. It’s the Japanese place that he’s been taking you to.”

My dad said, “Oh, I can’t stand that place. Their food’s terrible.”

I said, “Terrible? Jim said you love that place.”

He said, “I know. He’s so excited about introducing me to it that I don’t have the heart to tell him I don’t like it. Every time we go I just hold my nose and try to make it through the meal.”

Amazing. Here’s a kind-hearted neighbor diligently working toward a very worthwhile goal—helping another neighbor enjoy a nice meal in a nice restaurant. Unfortunately, since the neighbor he’s trying to help doesn’t like the kind of food served in that restaurant, there’s just no way that all of this effort…all of this expended energy…is ever going to produce the desired result.

As I was thinking recently about what our modern celebration of Christmas has come to look like I was reminded of that story involving my dad and his neighbor because I sense a similar dynamic at work in the two. We are now just 15 days away from Christmas and if you’ve been driving through your neighborhoods, or trying to get across town or trying to find a parking place at a mall there is no doubt that a lot of people are expending a lot of energy…not to mention a lot of money…in the hope of having a wonderful and satisfying Christmas. And I’m guessing that most of us can count ourselves somewhere in that mix.

My questions are these:

1. Come December 26, how many of them…indeed, how many of us…will have successfully reached our goal of experiencing a wonderful and satisfying Christmas?

2. For those who come up short of that goal, was there some fundamental flaw in the planning and preparation process that virtually guaranteed disappointment? Can we now look back and see a fundamental flaw in their strategy or execution that doomed their effort to fail?

It’s been my observation that whenever questions like these get asked about Christmas the culprit most likely to be blamed is, commercialism. It would be virtually impossible, these days, to make it through the Christmas Season without seeing, hearing or reading a sermon, story or editorial blaming the corruption of our Christmas celebrations on rampant commercialism. And there is no doubt that our unrestrained consumer mentality has detracted us from the true meaning of Christmas.

Even so, I’m convinced that the root of our problem lies in something much deeper than commercialism or consumerism. I think those are merely symptoms of a deeper problem called, “discontent.” People aren’t spending themselves into bankruptcy because they love to shop or because they love being broke. They’re spending themselves into bankruptcy because they sense that something significant is missing from their life as it is and they’re hoping that this next purchase or series of purchases will secure for them this missing sense of contentment.

So, we’ve got dads who feel guilty for not spending enough time with their kids all year long, trying to ease their guilty consciences by going deeply into debt at Christmas. And two days later when the kids find out that “all of their friends got better stuff than they did,” dad’s right back where he started, except now he’s also in debt.

And, we’ve got spouses who neglected their marriages all year long hoping to rescue their relationship with some huge purchase they can’t really afford. And when the credit card bill shows up in January they suddenly have a whole new reason to fight, but at least now they can do it in front of a beautiful 60” High Def TV.

My point is that all of the commercial pressure in the world is really pretty easy to resist when you are truly content. On the other hand, when your life is characterized by discontent the allure of trying to buy your way into contentment is very, very hard to resist. And, sadly, those who give in to it inevitably find that it fails to deliver on its promise.

Part of the Good News of the true meaning of Christmas is in the reminder that contentment does not come from having the right kind of stuff in our life. Contentment is the result of living the right kind of life.

To help us see what that kind of life looks like we’re going to listen to the message of John the Baptist. I’ll warn you up front that this is not the message that we typically associate with Christmas. It’s harsh. And it’s blunt. But God sent John specifically to help people prepare for Jesus’ arrival. And his message, even though it’s harsh, is as relevant to us, today, as it was 2000 years ago. And John’s basic message can be summed up in a single word—Repent!

Now, the word, “repent,” literally means to “turn around.” And the “repentance” that John encourages in all of us takes place when we make this statement, “To this point in my life, the primary focus of my life has been…ME. My life has been all about me. But that changes here and now. I am turning my back on that self-focused life. From this day forward my focus is on Jesus. From this day forward I’ll follow His lead. From this day forward I’ll embrace His values and adopt His priorities. No reservations. No qualifications. I’ve seen the other options, I’ve tried a lot of them and I want nothing more to do with them. From this day forward this decision is settled--I cast my lot with Jesus.”

That’s the repentance to which John calls us. And those who take that initial step of repentance and then continue to walk the path of repentance will come to Christmas from a completely new direction—a direction called, “contentment.”

Now that we understand this idea of repentance; and now that I’ve warned you about the harsh nature of this text, let’s read it. In Luke 3:7-8 we read,
“John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

In other words, when we repent…when we make the decision to turn away from a self-focused life and turn toward a Jesus-focused life…and then continue to walk down that path of repentance…life, for us, is going to change because repentance always produces fruit…fruit that is “in keeping with” our new focus on Jesus. And, in fact, the differences brought about by true repentance are precisely what lead us to real, lasting contentment.

Continuing now in verses 10-11 we read, “‘What should we do then?’” the crowd asked. John answered, ‘The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.’”

So, the crowd asks, “What should we do?” And John says, “Repent. Learn to be generous. Share with those in need the blessings that God has so generously given to you.”

In other words, one of the ways that repentance moves us toward contentment is that it shifts our focus off of the things we don’t have and onto the things we do. And what an amazing difference that makes.

When our primary focus is on all of the things that we lack we inevitably produce a spirit of discontent.

On the other hand, when our primary focus is on the wealth of blessings that God has already given us we nurture a spirit of contentment. And contentment, then, moves us in the direction of generosity.

Continuing now in verses 12-13 we read, “Tax collectors also came to be baptized. ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘what should we do?’
‘Don’t collect any more than you are required to,’ he told them.’”

The tax collectors were in the habit of overcharging the people and then lining their pockets with the excess. It was a great deal for the tax collectors. It was also a terrible hardship upon the poorest of the people.

So when the tax collectors ask, “What should we do?” John says, “Repent. Your perpetual need for more is not only blinding you to the needs of your neighbors, but is actually adding to their misery.”

Notice that John doesn’t tell them to stop earning a living. He just tells them to stop doing it in a way that takes unfair advantage of others. And now we see another way that repentance moves us toward contentment by freeing us from the perpetual quest for more and freeing us to be grateful for what we already have.

John then continues this theme in verse 14 which says, “Then some soldiers asked him, ‘And what should we do?’

He replied, ‘Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.’”

Do you want to write a book that is destined to stay at the bottom of the best-seller list? Here’s your title, Be Content with Your Pay. I guarantee you, that book is going no where. The very idea of being content with your pay sounds ludicrous to our modern ears. Which ought to give us some insight into the discontent that so dominates our culture.

So, what’s John saying to us? Simply this. If your think vision of contentment is built on a foundation of dollar signs then you will never know contentment. Why? Because even if you reach your goal, human nature being what it is, you will, in very short order, change the numbers and the quest will continue and so, too, will your discontent.

Our only hope for experiencing true contentment is to be freed from the consuming beast of acquisition and accumulation and greed. And the only way to be set free is to repent. And repentance at Christmas invites us to turn away from the foolish notion of trying to find peace through more and more things and turn toward a life-changing relationship with Jesus, the Prince of Peace who’s birthday we are celebrating in just 15 days.

I’m not trying to discourage you from giving gifts to those you love this Christmas. In fact, I encourage you do so. Giving and receiving gifts…small and large…is a good thing. So, by all means, spend some time at the mall; spend some time online and spend some time at the post office.

Just remember, that if you also want your Christmas to be truly satisfying and contented…don’t just spend money, spend some time with Jesus. Linger in the presence of this beautiful Son of God who really is the Prince of Peace.

© Copyright 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum

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