The Story of Christmas

Narrator: Christmas is joy, fun, gifts, new clothes, good food and a lot of other good things for most of us. But did you know for that one group of creatures, Christmas is nothing but sorrow and crying? Yes. It’s a day of mourning observed each year in the realms of hell. Here is a scene of one Christmas in hell.

A devil daughter walks into the house where her devil mom is cooking.

Devil daughter (DD): Mom.

Devil mom (DM):  (looking up) yes my dirty mess.

DD: I went up to the earth today.

DM: oh yes?

DD: do you know that they have fun during Christmas on earth?

DM: (sighs) yes I do my rotten tomato. (continues to stir)

DD: How come they have fun on the saddest day of the year? They were laughing and playing and eating and making merry. They had even decorated their homes and streets.

DM: (stops cooking and starts walking to a chair on left corner of the stage) I think it’s time I told you the story of Christmas.

DD: hold on mom. Let me go get my friends who came up with me today. We would all like to know.

She rushes out and comes back with a bunch of girls and boys. They all settle down around the DM.

DM: once upon a time, long long ago, we were all up in the heavens…we were angels too. And we were serving God.

All the kids look at each other in astonishment and make comments to each other (what!, huh? Etc)

DM: we used to dress in white, and sing praise to God all the time, and do everything He told us to do.

Light fades in left corner as center stage lights up. God is sitting on a throne in the center. Around him stand a few angels. One angel is dressed more splendidly than the others –lucifer. He is talking to his friends while God is in conversation with another angel.

Lucifer (L): I am sick and tired to doing everything the Lord tells me to do. I don’ t see why I can’t do as I please sometimes.

L’s Friend 1: I know. Some of the things these “men” do deserve a good whacking. But He is always giving them time to repent and stopping us from doing anything bad to them. I don’t know how He stands them!

L’s F2: I think we should talk to Him about it. What do you think Lucifer?

L: I think so too. In fact, I am going to talk to Him about it right now. (he clears his throat) ahem….God….(says it with a hint of fear mixed with defiance)

God(G): stops talking to the angel and turns around to look at L. One moment Lucifer. (continues to talk to the other angel. Then the other angel nods, bows to the Lord and leaves) Yes Lucifer?

L: God my friends and I need to talk to you.

G: here I am Lucifer. Talk to me.  Be very careful what you say though.

L: (looks shocked that somehow God has guessed his thoughts). Uhhh….sometimes I don’t…I mean I don’t like..i mean…..why should we always do what you ask us to do? (he speaks hesistatingly, and then rushes through the last sentence)

G: (looks long at him, considering him. Then, gently, He says) Because it is I my dear Lucifer. You should know that.

L: I don’t…I mean, my friends and I don’t feel like doing your bidding anymore.

(all the friends slowly move up behind Lucifer as though cringing from the Lord’s sight as He slowly looks at each of them.)

G: (sadly) then I do not think you have a place with me anymore Lucifer. I have seen you conspire and cause dissention. Leave me Lucifer, you and your friends, and don’t come back.

L: (is taken aback. But then he starts getting angry.) This is my home. Why should I leave? I have a right to stay here.

G: you have chosen to go against me Lucifer. You are banished from heaven forever.

L: No! I will not go away! I will fight and stay here!

G: You have no say in the matter Lucifer. GO!

All the devils are rushed out by some good angels.

Lights fade center and come up on the corner where the mother and group of little devils are sitting.

DM: This is how we came to be down here in hell.

DD: But that doesn’t explain why we mourn on Christmas mom!

DM: I’m coming to it. Don’t rush me. Since the time we were pushed down to hell, our life work has been to give God’s people hell. We try to make them sin so God will dislike them. We fool them into doing drugs, killing each other in the name of religion, cast, creed and other useless demarcations, and so much more. Our hope has always been that we will, by doing all this, cheat God of His people, for He is Holy and cannot stand sin. But all that changed one day more than 2000 years ago. You see, although we knew that God hated sin, we didn’t bargain for the fact that God loved the sinner!!!! According to the law, sin can only be paid for with blood. And God did the unthinkable. On the first Christmas day, God sent His only son – Jesus – to this earth to die once and for all, for all the sins of all the people of this earth!

At this, all the little devils look astonished.

DD: so now no one is a sinner?

DM: no. everyone’s sin has already been paid for. All the people need to do now is to believe that Jesus died for them.

DD: that’s it?

DM: yup. It’s that simple. Once they believe that, they are on their way to heaven, and nothing we do can change that.

DD: WOW! That’s a huge blow for us isn’t it?

DM: So you see now why Christmas is a day of mourning for us? It is the day all our purposes were defeated! It is the day Hope dawned for the people of the world. The day our fates were sealed. It is the day God’s love for His people was displayed. (sighs)  Since then, we have strived to make men believe that their sins can never be forgiven. We make them believe they are bad.

DD: is that all we can do? Make them believe a lie?

DM: Yes my spoilt egg. That is all we can ever do. Jesus already paid the price.

All the little devils look sad and mournful.

Lights come up center stage on the manger scene. 

Narrator: Yes. Love came down on Christmas day. God loved us so much that He paid the price for our sins with the blood of His own son. Remember, God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. Merry Christmas everyone.

GATHERERS AND SCATTERERS

“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters”

                                                                                                                                 Mat: 12: 30

In school, many of our school girls, including me, loved to play one particular game during PT – kabaddi. As most of you know, kabaddi requires two teams. When we divided ourselves up into two teams, I remember that most of us wanted to be on the team that Salma was on. Salma was our senior. She was a beautiful girl, but the reason for the girls’ hankering to be on her team was more than just her beauty. You see, Salma was a very tall strong girl. When she came into your court saying ‘kabaddi kabaddi’, all most of us did, was to run hither and thither, hiding behind each other, avoiding being touched by her, for if she touched you and managed to reach her home court safely, you were “out”. Since Salma was so tall and imposing, and strong, almost everyone wanted to be on her team, or rather, no one wanted to be on the team against hers. But here is what none of us could ever do – stay out of the game just because she was on the opposite team. There could be only two teams, and if you weren’t there in one team, then you automatically wound up in the other team. That’s just how life is in all things. There is always a choice for us between two things. You are either “this” or “that”, “here” or “there”. There is never a gray area. Similarly, in our spiritual life too, there can never be a neutral ground. You are either on the Lord’s side, or on the devil’s side. It is our duty, as Christians, to do the Lord’s work and there is no sidestepping it. If we do not gather with Him, then it is taken as a matter of course that we scatter. Consider carefully, what you want to do today. Do you want to be a gatherer or a scatterer? If you say no to gathering, you are automatically added to the group that said yes to scattering! You cannot stand on the fence hoping to jump to one side or the other when the time comes. If you are not on God’s side of the fence then you are automatically included with those in the devil’s backyard. And I heard tell that that backyard is too hot for comfort. The choice is yours. Jump off the fence. Decide.

Is God Your GPS?

Life in the United states is sometimes radically different from life in India. In India, if I had to go to some place for the first time, I would just go to the bus stop, inquire about the bus to take me to the place I needed to get to, catch that bus, get off, and ask an autorickshaw driver or shopkeeper for the way to my final destination. But here in the USA, that simply cannot be done! For one, buses are few in number and run on a tight schedule. Second, there is simply no one on the road to ask for directions! Taking a car to unknown places is therefore extremely confusing. But there is one very very useful device that acts as a life saver for someone who just doesn't have any sense of direction (someone like me ). That device is a GPS. Using a GPS is easy, and makes travel smooth sailing. All I have to do is switch it on, and type in the address I need to get to, and voila - it starts telling me what to do! Phrases like "Take exit 770A on right to clinton drive", "Make a U-Turn" start pouring forth, and i follow instructions meekly and to the dot. And in nine cases out of ten, I reach my destination correctly. This got me thinking about the Lord and His instructions to us. The Lord is also like a GPS. He knows where I need to go, and tells me what to do. But I, who follow the GPS so meekly, tend to doubt the Lord, the one who created the whole world and everything imaginable in it! I find myself stopping to ask Him about whether He really knows what He is doing - I who so unquestioningly take every turn the GPS tells me to take! What folly!

Another thing about the GPS is that it is flexible. If it tells me to make a turn, and I fail to, it immediately recalculates the route and gives me directions to get back on track. The Lord is like that too. Even when we make certain bad decisions in life, He doesn't abandon us because of those choices. Instead, He lovingly redirects us to put us back on track. It is up to us to follow what He says. If we do, He will certainly lead us to Heaven and Eternal Life, for unlike the GPS, there is no margin of error for the Lord!

The third thing that struck me in my endeavours with the GPS was this - At times when I lose sattelite coverage in a particular area, (especially areas where there are numerous tall buildings) and the GPS stops telling me what to do, I get panicky and go crazy! I immediately head out to open spaces, where buildings cannot block the GPS's signals. The same and more should be said for the Lord. When we are not in the Lord, the correct response is fear and an immediate exertion to get back in contact with Him. The cares of the world, and its numerous vaporous attractions may blind us and draw us away from the Lord. At such times, we should shun the wily temptations the devil throws our way, and rush out to the Lord. Let God be your GPS!