Believe in Christmas
Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Since it is a
great time, we have a number of things that add a sense of awe to
festivities. We have movies, songs,
food, gifts, even special church services that bring us warm hearts. I see these as a reminder that even though
the world as a whole does not profess the purpose of Jesus, they unknowingly
acknowledge his presence on earth with these celebrations. After all, how many other holidays do we
start celebrating and selling for 2+ months in advance other than Christmas.
Here is the greatest thing, all of these holiday items, as
misplaced as some of them may be, brings the story of Jesus front and center each
year for anyone and everyone to think about.
And if you peel back the layers of traditions, commercials and cute
stories about reindeer and snowmen, you will observe that it was a night much
like any other that started all the fuss in the first place. A night that became spectacular and world
changing.
As you awake Christmas morning you may not be celebrating
Jesus’ birth. Despite the way some who
do believe and follow Jesus have treated you, I want to assure you that most
are not trying to be offensive, please see beyond them to the wonderful spirit
of this amazing holiday. It could be
that you are not sure of what Jesus was and is about. You may have questions or
doubts. I must admit that despite nearly
40 years of attending church, I too have had my fair share of faith challenges,
questions and doubt.
Some of us who claim to follow Christianity know a lot of
things about Jesus, the babe born in a manger, others of us know less. One
thing is certain, regardless of training or study we don’t know all there is to
know about Jesus. As a matter of fact, The
Apostle John, one of Jesus’ disciples, tells in a manuscript he wrote we call
the gospel of John, “Jesus performed many other signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book… Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them
were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for
the books that would be written.” (St. John
I invite you this Christmas morn, to take a moment and
realize you are celebrating because of a babe born in a manger, which the
entire world, including countries where Christianity is outlawed, is celebrating
some part of on this day. Why? Because Christmas is a fact of history. As a matter of fact, the very date on this newspaper
is such because of that night in a little town called Bethlehem.
So, I invite you to pause and contemplate, let Christmas
become a change of heart not just an exchange of gifts. For just a moment set aside all the extras
and take a look at the real story of a historical figure. Don’t settle for a short changed celebration;
take a look, one more time, into the stable.
See the child there in the hay on a manger. And believe in Christmas. If you do, you will never settle for just the
trimmings ever again.
