Wrapped Up the Wrong Way

We had a devo the other day with the workers at the Swanson's "sitio," a place they hope will one day become a children's home, but that currently houses the church. It is still under construction, so the Swansons cook food for and have devos with the workers. The point of the devo was to refocus our attention on the core of the holiday: Jesus. Amid the rush of buying presents, cooking food, inviting family over, and singing popular carols, we must remember the birth of our savior. Carlos, one of the workers, wanted to know how it was that the Jews didn't accept the Messiah. We explained that the Bible says they were so wrapped up in their traditions that they missed the signs of the Messiah. Which, we said, should be a reminder to us, as well. Don't get so wrapped up in the Christmas traditions that you forget to look for the Messiah, the very reason why we celebrate. Later on in the week, a small group of us were talking about what Chileans do for Christmas, what Mexicans do, and what Americans do. Carlos smiled and said, "But don't forget to remember Christ." I gave him a thumbs-up.

For Christmas Eve, the church had a little celebration that they called, "Jesus' Birthday." They had games, songs, dancing, clapping, and laughter. They presented a little drama about Joseph searching for an inn for Mary. I was reminded of days of old, when plebeians would write a drama extolling the adventures of their monarch. They would then perform their plays before the king. It was their way of creatively expressing their praise. But I digress. At the end of the church celebration, the church lit candles on a cake, turned off the lights, and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

One of the games struck me especially. It involved rolls of wrapping paper, tape, ribbon, and lots of laughter. "Today we celebrate Jesus' birthday," said the leader, "and for birthdays, we give the birthday person a gift. We don't bring gifts to the other guests. We only bring a gift to the one celebrating the birthday. The greatest gift that we can give to Jesus is ourselves, simply and wholly." Two volunteers then stood on a chair while the rest of their team wrapped them up like a present. Guests to the church served as the panel of judges to decide who won.

I realized then that we tend to wrap ourselves up the wrong way. Rather than wrapping ourselves up as presents for God, we wrap ourselves up in holiday traditions, forgetting Who's birth day we're celebrating in the first place. I know that this year's Christmas has taken me so far away from my Christmas stereotypes that it has forced me to remember why I celebrate Christmas at all.

I wish to remind you to think about Christ today. It is, after all, the day we celebrate His coming to a world in need. It is, as a friend reminded me some Christmases ago, the night that God touched man in a physical way. He was the baby and we were the adults, and yet He was God and we were His creation. It is . . . all about HIM. Wrap yourself up the right way this Christmas, not in traditions but in simplicity and faith.

Not wrapped up in customs, I,

Nor tied to old traditions,

Trying not to trap myself

In regular conditions,

No, I choose to wrap myself,

A present to my Lord,

Present myself a present to

The One I have adored.

Hi.

This is the speech I recently typed up to give to churches. I've only used it a couple of times, so I wanted to share it. Not everyone is familiar with what I want to do in Chile, so I thought this would be a good way to let you all know it. And since I'm much better at writing than I am at speaking, this is a more comfortable medium anyway. Blessings.

Hi.

I'm Tabi. I have two passions in life: art and missions. My favorite art form in writing, but I like to put ideas into pictures, so that others may see what I see.

I grew up on the mission field. I was born in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. My father produced a Christian magazine because he believed in getting study aids to the church in a way that way true to God's Word and easy to understand, but also laid out in a way that was attractive to the reader.

I went to Johnson Bible College to study media because I wanted to take my father's idea further and present God's Word in a way that is dynamic and attractive. It was during my time at JBC that I met Mike and fell in love. I admired his passion and enthusiasm for being a missionary. It was this driving energy that changed the direction in which I was taking my gifts. I graduated from JBC in May of 2007 with a degree in Bible and Media Communications.

Two passions came together for me when I decided to marry Mike: my love for art and my love for missions. Although I would never have seen myself going to Chile, I am well aware that God's plans are perfect, and that the plot pieces of His story come together better than any story I decide to write.

It was after I decided to marry Mike and go to Chile that I finally saw how I could use my gifts to serve God. I saw that a media gap had developed between missionaries and their churches. While the churches were moving forward in technology, missionaries were falling farther and farther behind. When a missionary would return with an armful of photographs, they would find their churches unimpressed. The people had just gotten too used to fancy videos full of music and special effects. I decided that the missionaries needed someone who would help them present their mission in a way that would appeal to their forward-thinking churches.

As for my original goal of presenting the gospel through media-- that remained unchanged. Seeing all of the creative projects done in the United States made me want to carry these ideas and techniques overseas to a rapidly changing world. Consequently, I decided to set up a media studio where I could produce videos and record music. That way, I can help the missionaries make videos to take home, make media productions that shared the gospel, and help the Chilean Christian artists record their music.

I plan to make this media studio as mobile as possible. It must be able to go where there is a need, and capture images anywhere. The cost and time required for me to reach my goal will be substantial, but I know that if it lays within God's Will, He will provide for it. With the world changing as quickly as it is, I strongly believe that God will bless this venture.

Media is everywhere. It has reached almost all corners of the world. Whether for better or for worse, media has become an inextricable part of our lives. What better way to spread the gospel of Christ than on the wings of a wind already blowing across the globe?

I like to put ideas into pictures, so that others can see the things that I see. Perhaps, in my own small way, I will persuade you to do the same thing with your own life. Let us try to show the world the Christ that we know.

So they may see what we see.