PASTOR'S PERSPECTIVE: LEFTOVERS ARE BEST PART OF CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

Like most of you, I had turkey, dressing and all the trimmings for dinner Christmas Day. I was helping Betty, my wife, clean up the kitchen when she announced, "I'm not cooking tomorrow." I knew what that meant: Leftovers. My house isn't much different from yours. This day after Christmas, we have turkey leftovers, presents scattered across the floor left over from a day's hard playing, and some of us may even have a left over mess from Christmas Day.

Dec. 26 is the day of leftovers.

The last two days were also about leftovers. Mary and Joseph made the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the tax. I'm sure they didn't want to go, but laws had to be obeyed. Mary was as comfortable as any expectant mother who is nine months pregnant. To top it off, she had to make the long journey to Bethlehem on a bumping, jerking donkey, if she was lucky. When the two of them got there, all the motels had `No Vacancy' signs posted on the doors. Desperate pleas, "But sir, my wife is about to go into labor" were greeted with a window-rattling slam of the door.

They were left out.

They were leftovers destined to spend that fateful night in a cave with animals. Jesus came into the world treated by that world as a leftover.

Years later when Jesus was teaching in Jerusalem, the teachers and the powers that be didn't like his message. He was a rabble-rouser. He was a troublemaker. He was a revolutionary.

"We must get rid of him," so said the leaders of the people. So they lied and made up charges. They set up a kangaroo court to try him in the middle of the night. He was sentenced to the most horrible death possible -- on a cross. Only the worst are murdered on a cross. Jesus got cast with the worst. Jesus was treated as a leftover.

When my wife said, "I'm not cooking tomorrow," it didn't bother me all that much. For one thing, she knocked herself out cooking for Christmas Day. For another thing, I actually like turkey leftovers. You take a couple of slices of bread, give them a heavy dose of mayonnaise, pickle, cheese, tomato and a fat slice of turkey. Those kinds of leftovers are pretty good.

God's leftovers are the best. Jesus was cast aside, tossed away like a leftover by the world. He only wanted to bring to you and me the best God has to offer.

From the cross comes forgiveness. All our sins are taken away, removed from the presence of God. Those sins are like that wrapping paper you gather up and put in a bag, making sure you have it all to throw away, never to be seen again. God gathered up all our sins, put them onto Jesus and then Jesus died so they will never be seen again.

Jesus died to show the height, depth and breadth of God's love. Years earlier angels sang about "peace, goodwill toward men." God brings this peace and goodwill only from Jesus. Jesus brings this peace and goodwill to us only by the way of his cross.

If we haven't had our fill of turkey, today's leftovers will probably do the trick. It is leftovers from Jesus' cross -- God's peace and goodwill toward men -- that fill our hearts this and every day.

Today at our house is a day for leftovers. In our souls it is always a day for leftovers. We make room for the holy child, Jesus, who came into the world as a leftover. We find our lives filled with the peace, joy and goodwill of Christmas -- leftovers from Jesus' death. We find our place before God as Jesus takes the sins away.

Christmas leftovers are pretty good. God's leftovers are the best.

The Rev. Mark Martin is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Egypt Mills.