(*The following is adapted from an article that appears in this week's edition of the Murphy Messenger.*)How Do You Respond to Christmas?
People respond to Christmas in various ways.
Some celebrate with decorations inside and outside the house. Some respond by demonstrating love to others, including gift giving. Some rejoice in the great gift of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, mystified by the miracle of the incarnation.
Yet others see Christmas as merely a time to be fleeced by the department stores, and so they resent the whole Christmas season.
Others vent their hostility toward Christmas (e.g.). Some respond by destroying the Christmas decorations of others. Last year, I remember the children of a family in dismay as they examined a lacerated inflatable Santa and a decapitated Rudolph.Those hostile to Christmas brought sadness to a family that was hoping to share joy with others.
A variety of responses is nothing new. When Jesus was born, some responded by traveling to worship, but others responded with animosity, like Herod who saw Jesus as a threat and murdered every male child under age 2.
Sadly, some respond with hostility to Christmas and any semblance thereof because they are hostile to Christ.
How do you respond to Christmas? Is it a time of joy and kindness? Is it a time of remembering that great Gift that was given for us as God sent His Son who would die so that others might live? Is it merely a time of commercialism? Is it a time of loneliness?
In my front yard I have a sign which reads, “Wise men still seek Him.”
Yet, it's the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10). We must realize that Christ is not an impotent baby, but God in the flesh and One who is not to be trifled with. Wisdom dictates you greet Christ not with hostility, but in humility seeking forgiveness through His death on the cross.
I hope we all remember the true meaning of Christ’s birth and respond with faith in our hearts and kindness to others.
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