Why Jesus and Why Christmas?

Teachable Woman Podcast

Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry

Why Jesus and Why Christmas?

Reverend Michele Owes: [00:00:00] Welcome back to the Teachable Woman Podcast. We are excited, elated, overjoyed to be with you today. This is the Christmas tide season. Mrs. Cherry and I are delighted to be able to share with you at this together. She and I are teachers of good things and most of us consider Christmas a good time and a good thing.

Reverend Michele Owes: And we're going to talk much about that. Mrs. Cherry, please say hello to our podcast family and all of our listening friends.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Hi podcast family. It is my prayer that you will view the good thing part of Christmas in a different way after we finish our teaching on today. So prepare your hearts. It's going to be a good teaching by good teachers. Who teach good things. So we want to have receivers who are receiving good things, be prepared.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: You might be surprised, God bless.

Reverend Michele Owes: [00:01:00] Well, listen, one of the things that you and I know more than anything is that this season can become one of the busiest times of our lives. And even though we may be taking vacation days, schools may close early jobs give us time off. We become busier now with the preparation of Christmas. So, Mrs. Chair, let's start off with the most basic, what is Christmas and why do we celebrate?

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: That's a good question. My, son shared in bible study that he's going to be teaching a series of why questions this year. So this is right in line. Why Christmas? Why do we celebrate it? who is Jesus? Why did he come to Earth? We have to go back to the very beginning. Man sinned. I ain't going to preach.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: But I'm going to give you a real quick synopsis. Man. Sinned. God knew that we needed, a redeemer. We needed something that would be the propitiation of our sin. So [00:02:00] Jesus came. Jesus was born. He was a natural man. He was 100% God. 100%. Man. Jesus was crucified. we have to, he had to have been born before he was crucified, so we celebrate his birth because Isaiah 9:6 says, for unto us A Child is Born us. A son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder and the increase of the kingdom of his government. There shall be no end. So we celebrate Christmas because we're celebrating the fact God sent us a redeemer. be the propitiation of our sins. After Adam allowed him and eve to sin and I said it right in the garden, God then knew that we needed another. Way to be back connected with him, and Jesus was that way. That's why the Bible says he's the way, the 00:03:00 truth, and the life, and he is the light. And so we celebrate the fact that God gave us a savior. He's no longer in a crib. He's no longer on the cross. He's a risen savior, and we take out this day, once a year to acknowledge the fact that Jesus Christ was in fact born. It's not important that he was probably not born in December on our current calendar, but the important thing is that we live in a country and place where we can recognize and celebrate a day designated just for him. And therefore we must never ever use X eczemas when we write. We must never X him out because years ago I looked up that, suffix. must and it means a special time, a special CEL celebration, a Special Fest festival. And so Christ Must [00:04:00] a celebration of the anointed savior who came to save us from our sins. That's why we celebrate. Christmas because we're full of gratitude to God that he didn't leave us meandering through the wilderness of mediocrity for the rest of our lives.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: But he saw a pitiful state he sent a savior, and that savior came as a newborn babe. But he didn't stay in the cradle, he didn't stay on the cross. Thus, we celebrate Christmas Christ's day.

Reverend Michele Owes: Amen. Amen. That was a beautiful summary. I want to bring to our attention that Jesus is the savior of the whole world. Not just the United States, not just Africa, not just Asia, not just North America or South, the whole world. And so he is one blood. For all [00:05:00] nations, and he is a perfect genetic blend of all of the nations of the world.

Reverend Michele Owes: So, there is no nation that cannot find him as Lord or find their bloodline within him. Amen. Because he is a perfect genetic blend of all of the races of the world. And so he came to save us, mankind. That is from our sins, not his sins. But from the wrong that we did, and the fact that God loved us enough to save us from our wrongdoing, helps us to know why we need Jesus and why we need to have a relationship with him.

Reverend Michele Owes: He also came to destroy the works of the devil. And so the devil is real. You have to acknowledge that, and he does have have works. The Bible tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, which we find ourselves doing all the time because we find I don't like this person or that person, and [00:06:00] I don't want this person or that person, but it's not about people.

Reverend Michele Owes: Because we wrestle not against flesh and blood, which people are made of, but against principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Michele Owes: truly we can see in our nation if no other, which there are plenty others though, that there is wickedness in high places.

Reverend Michele Owes: And so Jesus came to destroy. The works of the devil, which is why as Christians, we should be praying, we should be interceding on behalf of our nation and permitting God to destroy the works of the devil in our country. And let's not forget in our lives, right, because we can be other than who he's created us to be.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Reverend Michele Owes: He also came to restore us back to the Lord so that we could have [00:07:00] a right relationship with him because sin separates. And when we do those things that we know are not the will of God our relationship. It is damaged, it has separated us from God. And you know, before we know we don't, we don't want to hear the word anymore.

Reverend Michele Owes: We don't want to go to Bible study. We, we move from the front of the church to the middle of the church, to the back of the church, and before we know it, we're right out the back door. And it's not necessarily because the church did anything wrong, because our choice at that moment. It's something other than Christ Jesus.

Reverend Michele Owes: And when we choose something other than him, we allow those other things to separate us from God, but he's our savior. And woe onto us if we won't take the time to develop that relationship. Because our children and our children's children need to know about this relationship, right? They need to know the realness.

Reverend Michele Owes: Of why we celebrate Christmas, [00:08:00] and I think one of the things that baffled me the most as I was preparing the notes for this is how this great job that God gave Jesus, which was to restore us back unto him, which was to destroy. The works of the devil and to be the savior of the whole world. How did that big judge, that mighty job get reduced to presence and houses and cars and land and, and, and a, a guy in a red suit, how did that greatness and wonderful, Isaiah said the government shall be on his shoulders.

Reverend Michele Owes: That's shouldering some big things,

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Reverend Michele Owes: but, but we reduced it to packages and.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Yeah. Well, not onlythat happen with how we celebrate Christmas? But the greater picture, I think is that that happens in our lives when we allow ourselves to be pulled away from the church. When we allow ourselves to participate in worldly things, when we allow [00:09:00] ourselves toTo be who we know we're not. you often wonder people active in church, loving the Lord, and then suddenly as Michelle, just as Reverend knows, just outlined it, first they start missing one Sunday, then two Sundays, then they find themselves in the auxiliary sanctuary and then it's out the door. So it's the same thing. It's a human nature. It's the sameThing that caused Christmas to bebecome polluted and diluted and everything. But what God insisted, in fact, God didn't plan no Christmas. That's our creation. he gave us a savior and we chose to worship him and to recognize him in this manner. Now, I would have to do a complete historical research on where on Earth did all this stuff come from. But I think the overriding thing for us to take from it is the fact that. It can happen in area, any area of our lives. How did, how did COVID a, a pandemic a virus, how did a virus become so powerful that it has separated [00:10:00] us from our churches? did the death, and there's a lot of people died, but what does that have to do with you if you're living?

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: I didn't die in COVID, and so I will live all of the rest of my days for the Lord. I'm grateful

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: and think thatit's just, it's the, it is, it's this, it's this flesh we live in.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes, yes.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: wills, the strongest force on the face of the earth. Many years ago, I did not perfect this, but many, many, many years ago, when my children were maybe teenagers, or a little bit older, I declared that we needed to stop how we celebrated Christmas because. What I wanted to do, and those of you who are younger and you have younger children, you can do this better than I was able to facilitate it. I purposed in my heart that I was going to stop doing all the enormous buying 'cause I was a person. If one child got [00:11:00] one gift, the other one got, if they got two, they got 10, the other one had to get 10—just crazy stuff. But I decided that. Let's focus on the person's birthday and give Jesus his birthday back as a time like Thanksgiving as we come together as a family. I love Thanksgiving. Come together as a family. We have fun fellowship. No foolishness, no drinking. 'Cause we've given up all that stuff, and so now I have a holy family when they come to my house, and none of the mess of the world in it, and it would be so wonderful. we would teach our children, we'll give a gift to you on Christmas, just in remembrance of the big gift that God gave us in

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes,

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Christ.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: We're

Reverend Michele Owes: yes,

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: no longer going to have these exorbitant, and, extravagant gifts and stuff. We have become too extravagant in [00:12:00] every area of our lives.

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: whoever heard of a reveal party,

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: going to give birth to a baby.

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: everything has gotten just too

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes. Yes.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: much, too much of everything. so I would really encourage you, especially if you have young children, let them know that their birthday is the most important day. I've just had about five December birthdays my family. My. My Yeah, my granddaughter, my, my great-granddaughter. it's about five or six in the family. And so it would be nice if, and I suggested this, if one year we had a December family birthday affair, that would be fun. But I love the fact that, Reverend Os. I think she probably still does it, she used to hang a banner and it said, happy birthday, Jesus. pretty [00:13:00] sure she probably still does it either inside or outside.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: But you used to, used to.

Reverend Michele Owes: Actually what I hang outside is the name of Jesus in lights.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Right, but you used to have over your archway, I thought, and maybe I never saw it. Maybe I misinterpreted in my mind, but I envisioned a happy birthday, Jesus, hanging somewhere in your house. And

Reverend Michele Owes: Bless your heart.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: of I'd never heard of anybody doing that. I mean, isn't.

Reverend Michele Owes: I actually have, in Christmas lights, I sculpted out the name Jesus, very large, and I, I, red background have sculpted out his name so when people turn the corner, they can see the name of Jesus, in the neighborhood now. But, but

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: I, I liked the, I liked what I had in my

Reverend Michele Owes: that's,

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Happy

Reverend Michele Owes: from way back, from way back when.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Either over your archway or over your mantle. That's what I envision. But you know, in [00:14:00] all seriousness though, we, he's the only person on earth the whole world celebrates his birth. They think, and he's never invited to his party.

Reverend Michele Owes: Wow, you, you said something.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: that's

Reverend Michele Owes: a mouthful.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: That's what I took from the fact that you said you acknowledged his birthday.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yeah.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: I don't know how you did it, but that's what I took from it, that you and your family took time out to welcome him into his own birthday party. it was after that really that I decided that, we need to stop all this Christmas buying

Reverend Michele Owes: Yeah.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: and we need to recognize him on his day that we say is his day, and then celebrate our children on their day.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yeah. you know, one of the things that, I learned from church is that. There are purposes for our children and there are gifts, talents, and abilities. And when we give, we should give to purpose rather than quote to [00:15:00] need, because need will always be there and won't ever be eradicated, but we can give to purpose.

Reverend Michele Owes: And so for those of us who enjoy giving at this time, if we're going to give, let's make sure that we give. whatever your children is. Whatever your children enjoy doing, maybe they are skilled at doing, if they draw well make sure they get a art set, more than just something electronic.

Reverend Michele Owes: More than just if, if they enjoy architecture, get 'em some Legos. we're just.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Okay.

Reverend Michele Owes: Suggesting that we not just buy, buy, buy, because there is the latest that is out there and then a couple of days later it's broke up. It's in the middle of the floor, the money's gone. And then careful with our electronics because electronics can be a beautiful tool if used correctly.

Reverend Michele Owes: But if not, it draws our children away from us. The conversations [00:16:00] that we could have, the, the time that we could spend together, we lose because they go in their spot. We go to our spot, and before we know it, electronics has torn the family apart. if you've got televisions in every room, everybody has their own cell phone, everybody has their own iPad.

Reverend Michele Owes: You got your own computer. It's like, it's a technology house, but it's not a home. Because the people in it are not communicating the way the Lord would have us to do. So what we really just want to remind us of at this moment. Is that Jesus came here for a big, big, big purpose. It's, it's enormous. It's greater than we as mankind could imagine, to be able to be the savior of the entire world, to be able to destroy the works of the devil, to restore us back into a right relationship with God and to make sure that we have life.

Reverend Michele Owes: That more [00:17:00] abundantly. I think there's a miscommunication in what that means. We think of abundance of things, but there's the abundance of the fruit of God's spirit. If we had the abundance of love and joy and peace and long suffering and gentleness and goodness, and meekness, and faith, and temperance, if we could destroy, not destroy, if we could.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: right,

Reverend Michele Owes: Share some of that at the Christmas gathering, right? Those family relatives that we don't want to talk to. Let's demonstrate some love, let's demonstrate some joy. Let's demonstrate some peace. 'cause we're not going to get in the small details of gossiping what's happening in somebody's life and those kinds of things when we could pray rather than, rather than, talk about somebody, let's choose.

Reverend Michele Owes: The opportunity to pray. Let's make sure our children know that this whole season is about the fact that somebody chose to save them from their sins and

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: a.

Reverend Michele Owes: give their lives to do [00:18:00] so.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: What a big, big, big, big picture. It was a big, big, big event and you just painted a big, big, big, beautiful picture and how dare we minimize what God did? By buying somebody a gift that, like you said, my children ended up playing with more of the boxes than they did the gifts. And I have always desired, even before the world was quite as crazy as it is now, but it is always my heart's desire that there would just be a cadre of people, a cadre of believers who would just do it God's way. the world's way is not going to work. It's never worked. And as we travel, we see people and we hear stories of how they were just down and out and God picked them up and save them. And, I I'm, I'm getting a lot of comments on the, on the book. Of course, the book is in the bookstore now [00:19:00] and it's available online. But I'm getting so many comments from people who say, I went through my life was similar to yours. I had those experiences. that's a big gift.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: that's when I was writing the book, I didn't think about it being a blessing, but that's, that's a big

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: And it goes on and on. And so when people, tell us as we're moving through the world, know, like the group that question you about Easter. That was a lasting impact that you poured into their lives. You don't even think of it as a

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: but that was a gift.

Reverend Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: words that we speak can be gifts because they can give life and bring life, they can reveal light and they can reveal hope. The teaching of the fruit of the spirit. What a wonderful tie in once again, that we have an opportunity to give those gifts this year so we can [00:20:00] change totally from what we were thinking about giving. And I'm going to give you a little bit of kindness. I'm going to let you know how significant you are.

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: In my life. I want you to know how much I appreciate you. like today, drop by. I'm getting ready to leave town today and people drop by to bring gifts to me. I'm not, I'm going to be back next weekend, but they drop by to see me just to, that's a gift.

Reverend Michele Owes: That's a gift. Those are beautiful kindnesses. And when we come together as a family or even with friends, whoever you fellowship with. Who God created that's in that room with you has great value. And if we could see each other. As valuable, then we won't need the packages. We won't need what's in, because the greater thing is the deposit that we make in the lives of one another.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Reverend Michele Owes: tells us that we should [00:21:00] encourage one another while it is yet called today, and if Christmas is a day that we can do that, God would be so much more pleased. Then all of this wrapping paper that we gather up to toss away from all the gifts that have been open with faces that, we just knew they were going to love what we were giving and they didn't even like it.

Reverend Michele Owes: I'm just saying why go through that when we could just love on one another in such a, a tremendous way that God could be glorified.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Yes, yes. It's, it's, it's an exciting time to lift up the name of Jesus,

Reverend Michele Owes: it is.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: and it doesn't, you don't have to feel like you have to be super spiritual or super phony, I call it a lot of times, or super, this or that, just. Lift up the name of Jesus,

Reverend Michele Owes: Amen.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: it's his day. And if you have an opportunity to go into the house of the Lord before you get into all those carnal [00:22:00] gifts, please take advantage of that.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: It's a precious thing to be able to go into the house of the Lord and to give God praise in the midst of all the stuff that we go through and all of us go through and have gone through enough stuff. There's some room for us to find time to give God some praise in the midst of it.

Reverend Michele Owes: That is wonderful. I am reminded that, on the last gathering that we had, my family had a gathering here. at Christmas time. My mom, who is now 93 years old, when we gathered to say the prayer over the meal, she read the story of Christmas from the Bible. Now, when my dad was alive. My dad used to tell the story at night to all of the grandchildren and just the family would all gather around.

Reverend Michele Owes: But and after my dad passed, it was like, okay, who's going to tell this story? Then my husband told it and my brother told it, and then my brother passed and my husband passed, like, who's going to , and my mom picked up the Bible. And read the [00:23:00] story of the birth of Jesus Christ. And that thing just, we recorded it and that thing just really, really touched my heart.

Reverend Michele Owes: I just want to share, make sure that we share. Who Christ is before we share the gift, before we start opening the presence, let's make sure that we share who Christ is and we don't have to be preachy about it, just to acknowledge that this is his birthday and we don't want to gather and not say who he is.

Reverend Michele Owes: And you know, we don't have to give a call to Christ unless you feel.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: You know, I just had a beautiful thing to happen yesterday. I'm visiting friends in, TA Tahoe for the, for the Christmas, and my friend called me and said, Mrs. Cherry. Make sure you bring the communion ritual with you because I have the communion elements I want, I want to have communion on Christmas Day. like, wow. And now you mentioned about reading the story. Did, did, [00:24:00] did. Do you read out of Isaiah nine six or do you, do you know

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: if you find it? So

Reverend Michele Owes: Okay. I think it was the Matthew that my Mom was reading, but I'll make sure to find it and share.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Podcast family. Forgive us. This is

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Send that to me 'cause I'd like to have

Reverend Michele Owes: I will, I will, I'll tell you what the, the reference is and I will make sure that I share it with our listeners on our next podcast. Sorry if I don't know right offhand, you know, I am one of those kinds of people that I can memorize scripture, but where it is is not necessarily what I memorize.

Reverend Michele Owes: I don't do scripture and verse, I do the scripture.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Right. You know. You know what you are. You're a living your epistle. You live the word, speak the word, and you are a human manifestation. Really. We are all living epistles of the word of God

Reverend Michele Owes: Amen.

Reverend Michele Owes: Known and read of All Men, right?

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Right. Exactly. And you don't have to. Every time somebody says something, I'm like that. [00:25:00] Also, you don't have to know the page, the verse

Reverend Michele Owes: Yes.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: verse one through you are it.

Reverend Michele Owes: Thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Well, podcast family, we want to wish you a very merry, merry Christmas in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and say that we love you. We pray that you would focus on our Savior. Therefore, there could be no disappointment about what is or is not in the package, right?

Reverend Michele Owes: Because you already received the greatest gift of all, which is Jesus Christ. Please demonstrate the love of Christ to your family. Make sure that your gatherings remain peaceful. Let's have some joy. Let's play some good games. Let's get along. Let's eat some good food and not forget our Savior.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Amen. This has been wonderful. I really enjoyed this podcast. I did.

Reverend Michele Owes: Well, I am so glad you did [00:26:00] because Mrs. Cherry and I had to stop from our hectic lives and just pull out this moment or these moments. For the Holy Spirit, and I'm so glad we did. It's been a blessing to me. Thank you so much. I know you're in the midst of it all, but you stopped in order to share with our podcast family and to demonstrate the live of Christ that we could do this thing even in our busy lives.

Reverend Diana P. Cherry: Right. God bless everyone. Have a wonderful Christ-filled, peaceful, joyful Christmas, and may the strength of the Lord keep you through every challenge that might come up to try to upset you.

Reverend Michele Owes: There will be.