In this sermon Adjustable Jesus, we sometimes act like he’s a Jesus that we can influence to be what we want him to be, instead of a resurrected Jesus who influences our lives to become what he wants us to become. While it’s a wonderful thing to have influence on our own children during their formative years, we sometimes blur that same line in our relationship with Jesus. Here’s our problem. When many people speak of a “Personal Jesus,” what they really desire is an Adjustable Jesus. They want to be disciples on their own terms; to calibrate their religion to a more relaxing, luxurious setting; to throw out the difficult, challenging aspects of belief, and put something customized and convenient in its place. When these folks say “my personal relationship with Jesus,” all that really registers is the “my.” When you say, “I love Jesus,” which Jesus are you talking about? Are you speaking of a formative, baby Jesus that you can adjust to fit your lifestyle (Adjustable Jesus)? Or the resurrected Jesus – who said, “If any man, woman, boy or girl will be my disciple, they must take up their cross and follow me.” There’s a lot to be said for paying attention to the details. When it comes to celebrating the birth of Jesus, we really should cross the T’s and dot the I’s. When your family begins to gather to remember the day Jesus was born, Celebrate like never before. Celebrate the details of His birth like Gabriel’s announcement, Mary’s immaculate conception by the Holy Spirit. Celebrate how the shepherds, wise men, and the star that guided them. Details like Mary and Joseph using a manger, a cattle trough for his first cradle. Pay attention to the details and celebrate like never before. But, when the birthday party is over, when your cleaning up the wrapping paper, taking down the tree and Nativity, don’t you dare leave Jesus in that manger. Don’t think of him as a baby that you can develop into the Jesus you want him to be. He's not an Adjustable Jesus, He's a resurrected Jesus.