Holiday Obligations

This Christmas as with every Christmas, I find that I am busy, cynical toward the commercialization, trying to keep the family joyful, and working hard up until some time off. All the while, trying to remember the Christ child. Last night I was smacked in the face by a couple of verses.

• "I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." Romans 1:14-16
• "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him." Deuteronomy 8:1-6

Not only is this a time of reverence for Christ's birth, but additionally, a reminder of our place in the world. A world that needs us. Greeks and non-Greeks. Jew and Gentile. Haves and Have-nots. Friends and Enemies. Haters and Hatees. The Successful and the Failures. The Straight and the Gay. The Cheater and the Cheated. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

We are obligated to open our homes—without worry as to the pomp and experience—just open them. We are obligated to open our hearts. We are obligated to open our wallets. We are obligated to open our mouths. We must remember how the Lord your God...