In the Children's time last Sunday I asked them to tell me what were their favorite Christmas specials. Going over all of the movies and cartoons shown at Christmas, it is no wonder that people are overlooking Christ in Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the Christmas movies and specials. Every year I watch "Holiday Inn", "Miracle on 34th Street", "White Christmas", and "It's a Wonderful Life". They are all wonderful movies with good moral lessons, but none of them talk about Jesus at all. The children's programs aren't much better. I love "Frosty", "Rudolph", and all the rest. Now admittedly Jesus gets a couple of significant nods in my two favorites.
In "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" they choose Christmas Eve to get married, "because it is the holiest night of the year." So Santa at least knows about Christmas being about Jesus in that one. But my favorite is how Charles M. Schultz comments on this very problem in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Charlie Brown is sick of all of the commercial Christmas stuff and the way people are acting and he asks if anyone can tell him what Christmas is really about. Linus steps up and recites Luke 2:8-16 from memory. Kudos to Linus' Sunday School teacher! That scripture telling about Jesus being born totally changes Charlie Brown's attitude toward Christmas, and in the end it makes all the other kids more giving and forgiving, too.
The reason for Christmas is that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." The Christmas story tells of how God loves us enough to want to come and be one of us. That is life changing. With all of the stories of people shooting, stabbing, or trampling each other to get the last whatever from the store, I think that the world really needs to be reminded the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus came to bring peace on earth and good will to all. Christmas is Jesus' birthday. Those presents are reminding us of the gift we were given in Jesus. I don't think that the Prince of Peace would be all that thrilled with the strife we are causing in the name of Christmas.
Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas!
