Greeting FB Members and Friends
So glad that you could join me for another edition of Fine Points and welcome back. Christmas is only a week away. Many people are rushing to get that last minute shopping done and find those last minute deals. For many of those people, Christmas is or has become an end of year shopping spree and excuse to attend and throw parties. They will not attend Church nor do they profess to be Christians. They are among the many who haven’t found Christ in Christmas.
Even for those who do profess to be Christians, so many of us get caught up in the many trappings of the holiday, that Christmas is about the fact that Christ was born in Bethlehem and shepherds and wise men came and visited him and gave him gifts. Yet, the birth of Christ is so much more than that. Christ was born for two reasons: To be the King of God’s people and to save His people from their sins. If we have not been saved from our sins by receiving Christ as our Lord, Savior and King, then we like so many others still haven’t found Christ in Christmas. Instead Christmas is an excuse to do whatever it is we do between Thanksgiving and December 25th.
How could a so-called religious holiday degrade into something that has so many aspects that have nothing to do with the reason Christ was born? The reasons are many and complex, but the primary reason is that it did not originate as a sole religious holiday dedicated to emphasizing the reason Christ was born. Telling people that Christ was born and explaining why He was born are two different things. Instead, the church attempted to supplant pagan and heathen holiday practices and beliefs with Christ. They were successful in changing the name of what people were doing to Christmas but that is all they managed to change.
As a result, Christians are stuck with a holiday named for our Savior many in the world celebrate that barely emphasize the fact that Christ was born and much less the reason He was born. So how should Christians celebrate Christmas? What each individual Christian does is up to him or her, but I would like you to consider that everything we do that does not reflect directly on the fact that Christ was born and the reason He was born, distracts people from finding Christ in Christmas. They believe Christmas is about those things they see us do. We tell people Christmas is about what we do and say it is about.
In an attempt to put the focus on and where it should be, we will and have been having a Christmas Day service. It begins at 11:00 am and I hope you will be there with your family to put the focus where it belongs. Well, I hope you all have a blessed week and that something good expected or unexpected happens to you and the ones you love. So, until we meet again,
Blessings and Peace
Pastor Jordan
