Christmas 2021
The True Way of Keeping Christmas; George Whitefield 1714-1770 24mins.
sermonaudio.com/sermon/1123191932985
Philippians 2:1-11
The Christmas holiday season has been continually squeezed into a secular materialistic season of commerce. Each year the
commercialism of the season begins earlier, presently beginning in October. In
my youth the season of Christmas began after the national day of Thanksgiving.
Understanding the moral decay of the American culture
begins I think with the secularism of Christian holidays that were once held in national esteem (that's why they are holidays); for sure, not by everyone, but by the vast majority. How many immigrants found Christ through one of these holidays?Secularism
is replacing the influence of the Church by the commercializing its most
honored Christian events once revered in American culture.
Football dominates the national day of Thanksgiving. And who is to be thanked in the culture of
today, evolution, government, or myself—anyone but God. Better to thank the
cable companies for providing the entertainment of a game of no importance to
anyone, except those with vested monetary benefits associated with the game. But
who should I thank for the freedom to
be entertained in a comfortable shelter with a turkey leg in my hand and a beer
close by cursing the coach's last play call. Who do I thank for my wife
and children? Who do I thank for my
two good legs, arms, eyes, ears? Any of these things may be lost tomorrow. Midwest
tornados took 80 lives just last weekend, many houses, businesses and even a city. Who do we curse—oh yeah, God.
But find someone else to thank.
I drove through the small town of Algoma to see the
decorations that I enjoyed as a child and was disappointed by the lack of
Christmas spirit that once adorned a community. Not even a community Nativity
displayed by a community that would describe itself as being Christian.
Christmas? The Grinch has it tucked away in his closet.
There is left only a fairy tale of the birth of God in the form of a baby. What
God, after all, would lower Himself to the level of being human, especially a God that
claims to have created humanity? Santa Claus is far more reasonable a choice to
celebrate in our enlighten culture. And we absolutely know he is an embellished
and sainted man, not a deity, named
Nickolas. But even the traditional Santa Claus is disappearing except perhaps
as a marketing icon. The joyous festivities of the Christmas season are more
rapidly fading away—the home interior and exterior decorations are more trouble
than they are worth because the symbols and their purposes have been forgotten. Why poinsettias,
evergreen trees, various colored lights, candles, manger scenes, wreaths, cards—the
very purpose for the celebration of Christmas? What did these decorations of
the not so distant past reflect about Christmas, what did they once mean to us, or how did they affect the culture? Do we need even care anymore?
Christmas has become a reason for spending on useless things,
forgetting the most expensive gift ever given (Luke 2:1-20), which today’s
culture blatantly rejects—to its own peril. Celebrate the glad tidings in the
mailbox next month (credit card bills), but not of the birth of baby that is “a Savior which is
Christ the Lord,” who is politically incorrect on so many levels. That baby
loves all people universally and hates evil universally, which is why He came
John 3:14-21; Rom 3:21-26. Ahh! What the hell, it's all relative. NOT! Merry CHRISTmas to all, and to all a good night.
Comments
Post a Comment