Christless Christmas

 I am not a fan of rushing into the Christmas season before we even celebrate and enjoy Thanksgiving. It seems Christmas decorations start earlier and earlier every year in retail stores and on homes. 

I got an astonishing phone call from one of our members this past week. He was driving around the Weatherford, TX courthouse when he noticed the nativity scene on the square. He looked and then took a second look. He could not believe what he saw. No manger. No baby Jesus. Everything else was there. Mary and Joseph. The shepherds. The animals. The stable. Yet the main attraction, the star of the story, the centerpiece of the whole event was absent. 

There is no CHRISTmas without Christ. Jesus born in the flesh of a virgin mother is the start of God's ultimate gift to planet Earth. A Savior. A promised Messiah. A Redeemer. A Deliverer. Without all of that Christmas is just another pagan holiday. A chance for greedy people to get more stuff they do not need and for generous people to participate in acts of philanthropy. Let me say it again. There is no CHRISTmas without the Christ. 

In this culture people now want to cancel Jesus. I have news for every pagan who has thought, still thinks, and will try to silence Jesus. It will never happen. One day these same pagans, atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and scoffers will openly confess Jesus. One day every single knee will bow down before Him and voluntarily or involuntarily will confess with their mouth that Jessus is Lord. 

Philippians 2:9-11 (NASB)

⁹  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
¹⁰  so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹  and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

Politically correct governments may refuse to put Christ in the nativity scene but that does no.t take Him out of the hearts of all His followers, out of the course of human events, and our prophetic future. He will have the last say. He is the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. He was present at creation and will be present at the last coming on a horse of white as a Righteous Judge. 

I will have no part of a CHRISTless CHRISTmas. One small thing you can do during this season is every time you write or say Merry Christmas intentionally write or say Merry CHRISTmas. Keep Christ in CHRISTmas.