Rass-a-frass-in christmas. GRRRRRR!

I know I wont be like for this, even more so at this time of year , But christmas really SUCKS. Not just for those who have lost someone special to them,,( I am there and I know it bites ) , but for all of us if we take a minute and think. What in the HELL is going on with this country ??? Notice that Halloween starts to roll around and they get the candy ready . Makes since that is where the money is , and Halloween has always been a gimmy kind of holiday any ways. Then what is next Thanksgiving right WRONG it X-MAS. I really freaking hate that word. X-mas and christmas and become intertwined ( notice I didn't capitalize the word christmas on purpose here), Xmas is about the gimmy not the Christ. Yes I do know that the first letter for Christ ion greek is x but I don't really think that played in to this equation ( I taking math right now and that word is in my head sorry). You see Jesus doesn't sell Santa does. What is really annoying (next to me) is that in the shuffle of Halloween and christmas something really important is forgotten. Anyone in the class remember ???? No you don't have to be a nut case like me to know this. It starts with a T. Did that help? Thanksgiving give that little girl a cigar . Now how did we all forget that in between the to monster GIMMY's there is something top be thankful for. Not the harvest, not the family and friends ( all of these are good but not the bigger picture here)I think that thanksgiving is about what we have already. What is it that we all have? One thing SALVATION. Now before you get out your crosses and start them on fire , Let me clarify what I just said. Everyone has salvation if they will just take it. It is there for you to pick up . It is yours. Jesus died so that you could live, no you don't have to be a religious person to except that he died. Look in history Jesus was a real person , other sources of fact tell us he was here. To clear up the idea that we all have a little more , if I were to put one million dollars on the table and say this is for you. That money is yours, I just said it was. You must choose to take it. Just because you don't take it doesn't mean that it isn't yours, remember I said it was. not if you don't take the cool mill that is your fault not mine . The short of it is when the time runs out and you stand before the Bema seat ( we all will ), You can't say I didn't know it was mine Jesus told you many times before and He will many times again. In fact through me and my mindless ramblings he is telling you again. HE DIED FOR YOU! Back to the original point I was making , this thing that we have made this monster know as christmas/x-mas is ruining what should be a happy time. We all run like chickens with our heads cut off to get the new tickle me elmo toy ( I hate elmo ) . People die on Black Friday (yes die) so that we can get the better deals. Peoples lives have been equated out to the saving of a few hundred dollars. Yes a FEW hundred is a lot of money I not rich or stupid ( well not rich at least) . I have lost a child and would give all I have and more for her to be here for my youngest to meet that old sister he never knew. How do they link?? People die for some stupid gift. Someones christmas will have the added joy of a funeral, did you put that on your list this year , I don't they did either. Please don't think I shove this all off on everyone else and sit on my little mountain top all holy and such. For of all these crimes ( at one time or another) I have been an offender. I have put my wants over the needs of my family. I have put my wants of the wants of my kids I got what I wanted while my kids got the welfare christmas, ( Yes I am a shit at times. No this is no better way to say that). That is what bothers me we focus on the want this 1/4 of the year. Halloween I want candy turkey-day ( it is more of the food then the thankfulness ) then the all might hailing to the FAT MAN in red christmas. Gimmy gimmy gimmy. I hate what I see everyone doing then the real kick in the lower regions hits, OF THESE CRIMES I AM JUST AS GUILTY. That is why I hate christmas. As for calling it Happy Holidays that is a whole new ball of wax I don't want to get in to. For those who have stuck through this maze of mindless dribble to this point I salute you. I used the lower case c of christmas although this little jaunt down trippy lane for a point. And I will give you that point right here ----------->
What we as a whole are striving for in this final 1/4 of 2009 is wrong Jesus did not die for a tree ( which has no real tie to christmas anyway ) or did he die for present ( the boxed kind at least) The true meaning of Christmas ( big C not little c now) is what he did give . Salvation. But how can you and I give that to each other , We can't. We we come to something that Jesus did that we should follow suit in that we cant do 100% I think that we should do the closest we can. How did Jesus give us salvation? Yes he died, I'm a little nutty but I do not have a death wish.
I don't think Jesus wants us to walk up to people and say Jesus died for you , and now so will I . That is crazy talk. If you look at what Jesus did I think there is another level to it. The first part is the easy one to see . Jesus died to take our place for our sins . That is spelled out in the Bible. But the second level I think flows a little out of our comfort zone, yes death on a cross in not my comfort zone either, But Jesus did that so we wouldn't have too. Nitty Gritty here Jesus went out of his way for others. He showed his love by going out of his way to help us . In that moment when he took the sins of the world he was apart from God the father for the first time. He went to that length for you for me. When you see a person with a sign that says will work for food give them a dollar or two. It's not dieing of the cross by any means . Don't worry about what they spend it on you gave that money as a gift . God will not punish you for what that person does with it. If you can help out some where like a soup kitchen or the like. Little things like this bear out more of what Jesus Christ's life on this earth was about. Not I-Pod's, PS-3's not 52 inch flat screen t.v.'s . But a gift that is from the heart. God's heart channeled through Jesus Christ's gift of the cross to us. That is the true meaning of Christmas.

Thank you
and Merry Christmas
Raymond "The Big Pickel" Thornton