CHRISTMAS MOVIES part 1

"ELF"

December 7, 2008

with Adam Waters

OPEN

· Why don’t you believe in Santa Clause anymore?
· If we did, how would Christmas be different? Magical element, wait up all night just to catch a glimpse of him, explorers to the North Pole searching and searching for his home, we’d try to behave better (nice list/naughty list)… how would XMAS be different?

THOUGHT: Jesus brings belief to a cynical world.
· Most of us have gotten cynical about Xmas… keeping up with the Jones family… we have to get a present for everyone… stress… depression… lost family times… travel… anxiety… will they like what I give them…. XMAS whether it be the secular OR the spiritual meaning as it is intended is lost!
· When the Christ Child was to come into the world, the same thing had happened… it’s been too long since the Messiah was promised… so he was unrecognizable to most of those who encountered him… unless their faith was childlike!
· TODAY if he showed up on our doorstep, how would we react? “Yeah sure… you’re Jesus. Take off the fake beard. Put away the costume and leave me alone.”
· When Jesus (and John the Baptist) encountered a cynical culture and had to shake the dust off of their faith! They called the “religious” of their day: snakes, white-washed tombs, hypocrites, blind guides, and more! I hope they wouldn’t have to do the same to us…

Luke 13:18-21 “The Mustard Seed and the Yeast.”
If suddenly we began to believe Santa was real, how great would the belief have to be before the neighbors thought you were NUTS!
Jesus speaks to that. Your faith doesn’t have to be this great thing. We’re not all going to be Will Ferrell. Most of us are his dad (J.Caan).
YEAST: the store elf girl getting other’s singing

John 20:24-31 “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
Children everywhere walk with wide-eyed-wonder towards Christmas because they have faith that an old fat guy in a red suit will bring them something special on Xmas.
Blessed are we when we walk with wide-eyed-wonder towards Christmas because we have faith that a Jewish carpenter was born of a virgin, lived fully man and fully God, died on a tree, and rose from the grave… that’s crazy talk! Give me the fat guy, at least I get presents once a year!

You need to Re-Evaluate your Jesus fixation…
Quote from THE SANTA CLAUSE – “Most people think that seeing is believing, but the truth is that believing is seeing!”
I don’t want this series to be just another “remember what Xmas is all about” set of talks. It needs to be “remember what Christianity is all about” series!
Christianity is about the smallest amount of belief (centurion: help my unbelief!) being ENOUGH to get the sleigh off the ground! If you have seen Jesus, they W. Ferrell kind of enthusiasm is definitely warranted. If you believe just a little… “singing loud for all to hear is the best way to spread Christmas cheer.”
Use what faith you have… let it grow as the mustard seed does into something amazing and beautiful… Get fixated on Jesus again (SANTA! I know him... JESUS! I know him!), it will not disappoint you.