MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! In light of the current trend of the anti-Christ spirit that is trying to take Christ out of Christmas in this country(U.S.A.), I rejoice in my present freedom to openly declare unto you a merry Christmas. Just today I witnessed an atheist say on FOX News that soon Christmas will be a completely secular holiday. Of course, my immediate thought and words were “no, it will not be so!”  Christmas is more than a holiday, it is a “holy day!” Christmas is (should be) the biggest birthday party on earth! It is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus, Christ!

This may be a good time for you to really take a few moments to examine your own heart and ascertain why you are celebrating this Christmas season. Is it because you get three or four days off from work? Perhaps it’s because this is the time of the year that you get the best bargains on items you desire! Could it be that you celebrate Christmas for the perceived romantic atmosphere of it all? You know, chesnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose! Listen, I’m not saying these things are necessarily wrong or sin(not necessarily). What I am saying is Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ and let us not get it twisted!

Please take the time to learn or remind yourself of what the birth of Jesus Christ means or represents. The birth of Jesus Christ was God wrapping himself in flesh to bring salvation(deliverance, healing, soundness, wholeness,  eternal life,  peace and joy) to the world. The Son of God wrapped himself in flesh, became a man, to suffer and save us from our sins. The name Jesus means salvation! The birth of Jesus was eternity breaking in on time! The birth of Jesus Christ reminds us that God(Immanuel) is with us; that he is the God that shows up!

We are living in a time where we must all reaffirm our response to the birth of Jesus Christ! When we read the Christmas story in the Gospels we see three(3) basic responses to the birth of Christ. The first response and the proper response is that of worship! When the shepherds and wise men learned of the birth of Jesus Christ, they rejoiced, sought Him and worshipped Him. They brought Him gifts! The second response to the birth of Jesus was that of hatred. This was king Herod’s response because he believed the birth of Jesus threatened his own kingdom! Herod even tried to have the child Jesus killed! There are many today who don’t want to surrender to the King of Righteousness. They don’t want to live by God’s holy standard so they work hard to take Christ out of Christmas. The third, and perhaps the most disgusting is the response of indifference. This was the response of the religious leaders(chief priests and scribes) of that day. When king Herod inquired of the religious leaders where Christ should be born after learning of  the star that led the wise men to Jerusalem, the religious leaders pointed Herod and ultimately the wise men to Bethlehem. Even though the religious leaders knew the scriptures and that it was foretold where Christ should be born, they themselves apparently made no effort to search out and worship Him that was “born King of the Jews.” They had an attitude of indifference.

I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to honor Jesus Christ always and particularly this Christmas season. I urge you to be faithful to your local church! It is really sad to see how many in the Church of Jesus Christ abandon Christ and the local church during a time when the local church should be the most attended, supported and Christ celebrated. No matter what you are facing this holiday season, I pray you experience the salvation, peace and joy of Jesus Christ. On behalf of Faith Harvest Church, Pastor Phyllis and myself – MERRY CHRISTMAS!