I heard someone say the other day, “Well, another Christmas has come and gone.” Frankly, I was a bit perplexed by that remark, and I really didn’t know what to say in reaction to it. Yes, December 25th as the date we celebrate Christmas is past. But is Christmas really gone?
Now you know two of my favorite Christmas classics are “The Grinch” movies and “The Scrooge” movies, (yes, there are more than one of each). Before you get all upset with me thinking, “he’s being Grinchy and Scroogy again,” let me remind you that both of those classics have happy endings that are very, very Christmassy.
But as I’ve reflected on the original remark about another Christmas come and gone, I remember something the Grinch said. As I recall, he said something like this, “Maybe Christmas, he thought…..doesn’t come from a store, may Christmas, perhaps…..means a little bit more!”
Did you catch that? Most of you already know how I feel about the commercial aspect of Christmas. Frankly, for many years, I’ve griped about the fact that so much of the world puts way too much emphasis on it and not enough emphasis on the real “reason for the season.”
Now, as I said, I really was caught off guard by the original statement about Christmas having “come and gone.” Did he mean the commercial side of Christmas or celebrating Jesus and his birth, life, and death on the cross? I certainly hope it’s the former! Knowing that “hindsight is clearer than foresight,” I wish I had asked. If he meant the former, then yes, I’d have to agree with him. But if he meant the latter, then I must whole-heartedly disagree.
You see, Jesus Christ is to be celebrated every day- 365 days a year, not just in the days and weeks leading up to and on December 25th. Jesus IS the reason for the season. But He is also the reason for our existence. God created man in His own image to love Him and worship Him. When man fell because of his sin, God in His love, mercy, and grace, made a way for us to be reconciled to Him and receive forgiveness for our sins.
That WAY is Jesus Christ! Jesus Himself said in response to the disciple Thomas, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
If we are to be reconciled to God the Father, we can only do it through Jesus Christ the son! My dear friends and loved ones, let us please not leave Christmas behind in our rear-view mirrors. Let’s celebrate Jesus every day!
May 2022 be a blessed year for us all through God the Father, Jesus Christ the son, and the sweet Holy Spirit of God as our guide and comfort!
Pastor Tim