It's that time of year again. The time where malls are clogged with people shopping for the "it" gift for their friends and family and traffic is impossible. It's the time when people spread the "Christmas Cheer… but who knows what that is anymore?
My mom sent me this interesting email passed on from her friend. It’s a chart comparing the ABCs of a Christian Christmas compared to the worlds X-Mas.
What I find interesting about this chart is how accurately it portrays the gap between how Christians should live out the Christmas season and how the world ends up celebrating it.
I say should because I think that a lot of Christians, including myself, have fallen into the worldly view of Christmas. It’s fun to give gifts and to sit around a Christmas tree with flickering lights.
But here is what I think is interesting. If everyone held the same view, or worldview, that Jesus Christ—the savior of man—was born on Christmas night, this holiday would take on a whole new meaning.
The Son of God came to give us the ultimate gift; he died that we may live without fear of sin and death.
The world views Christmas as a time to “get what you want.” It is filled with “things to do” and required visits to see relatives. If you don’t get the perfect gift for your child, watch out! You will have a full-blown meltdown.
Oh, and let’s not forget the politically correct side of this time of year; we can no longer call it Christmas because that is impolite and cuts off the rest of the holidays that happen at this time. Retail workers wish “Happy Holidays!” or “Merry X-Mas!” instead of calling the holiday by what it is.
It is called Christmas because this is when Christ was born. You can’t have Christmas without Christ.
I guess what I am trying to get at is that we should all reevaluate how we view this time of year. Are we excited for the month of December because it lets us remember the birth of the one who paid the ultimate sacrifice for us? Or are we excited because we know we will get that game system or movie that we have been longing after for months?
