Christmas is a very special time for me, not only because it celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but because I was saved just three days before Christmas in 1976. Friday, December 22, 2023 marked 47 years I have been walking with God. Every Christmas takes me back to the first moments, days and weeks of realizing that Jesus Christ truly is the Savior of the world. I have never doubted for a second since.
I know that Christmas has been secularized and monetized. The season is filled with images of Christmas trees, Santa, reindeer, bells and lights. It paints a beautiful picture, and we all enjoy it. I am not against those things unless they become a substitute for the true meaning of Christmas. That is a danger as our culture is influenced by those who are hostile to true Christianity.
In a school district in Delaware County, Pennsylvania - close to where I grew up - the school administration instructed school bus drivers to remove any Christmas decorations on their buses. When the community responded in an uproar, the district gave the usual, "we were misunderstood" explanation and backed off.
They probably received one of the infamous letters of intimidation from The Freedom from Religion Foundation - an organization of anti-Christian hatred and bigotry masquerading as civil rights advocates. One of their activities is to threaten law suits against federal, state and local government bodies over crosses on graves sites and nativity scenes on public property. This is all part of the cultural revolution I have talked about so often.
Several years ago, corporations were instructing their store and restaurant employees that saying "Merry Christmas" might be offensive rather than "inclusive." They were to say instead "Happy Holidays." For the same preposterous reasons, some schools have decided not to hold Christmas parties or call the vacation a "Christmas Break." They have substituted "holiday parties" and "Winter Break."
Yet America is a Judeo-Christian culture. We are not a nation of atheists, Buddhists, Hindus or Muslims. We are decidedly and predominantly Christian. Christianity came from Judaism. These two faiths have shaped the culture of our country. As Christians, we believe that our Messiah was a Jewish man, born in Bethlehem, a Jewish city. Christmas is the fulfillment of God's covenant promise to His people that He would send a Savior, not only for Israel, but for the world. That is what we celebrate.
We say "Merry Christmas!" because our hearts are made merry and joyful in the knowledge that we have a Savior. Jesus' birth was at that time the greatest event in human history, equaled only by His resurrection after His death on the cross. God became a man, born of a virgin, laid in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. It defies human understanding that God could become a helpless baby, but that is the truth of Christmas.
As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us remind ourselves of the true reason for the season. As hostility against Christianity spreads in our country, hold your head high. Remember the message of the angels:
Luke 2:10-14
"…Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Thank you for standing with us in the effort to preserve the Judeo-Christian culture and traditions which made America the greatest nation is the history of mankind.
May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
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