"A Blessed Merry Christmas"

In a world where so much is going wrong, it is my sincere hope that everyone who reads this Christmas greeting will truly have a delightfully blessed and joyously Merry Christmas. 

Others may go wrong with alcohol, drugs, hateful behavior, etc., but you and I can do right and steer clear of all such things. 

Others may go with the Santa myth, but you and I can go with the Saviour miracle. 

The Good News remains unchanged, namely, 

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  

“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,  

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”—Matt. 1:21–23. 

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”—Luke 2:10, 11. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16. 

How exciting is that? Because the Lord, who is the Light of the World, provided salvation, we are delivered from the doom of the darkness (I Thess. 5:5). So, let’s celebrate this Christmas by acknowledging His blessing and expressing our joy in the Lord Jesus. 

Here is one additional encouragement that should be the spirit of our Christmas celebration and continue all year thereafter. 

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.”—Ps. 5:11. 

Amen! A Blessed Merry Christmas! Amen! 

Let’s Celebrate Scripturally and Responsibly! 

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the angels of Heaven declared there was “good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10). It was a phenomenal event considering He was God incarnate, virgin-born, prophesied on almost every page of the Old Testament Scripture and commencing a journey that would procure salvation for all of us. 

Even a momentary pondering of the great gifts of God (sins forgiven, salvation secured, Heaven reserved) that the Lord Jesus made available to us is more than we can fully comprehend. How can we not rejoice? 

The world butchers up Christmas pretty badly, but you and I can still do what’s right and honor the Saviour at this time in which we recognize His birth! 

Some Folks Are Unwise! 

Alcohol! Any way you look at it, alcohol at any time, in any amount, in any form, is absolutely unwise. Celebrating the birth of Christ with alcohol is about as far from the right way to do it as you can get! 

Santa Claus! Any time we tell a myth instead of the truth, we have failed. The Santa myth is a substitute for the real and true story of Christmas. Every time we use our breath to extol Santa, we’ve given time and space to something other than the truth. The Santa thing is just unwise! 

Overspending! I love giving gifts, and I enjoy receiving gifts. But I do not think I should go beyond the limits of the Lord’s provision. Going into debt that takes months or years to clear up is not a good idea. Give some thought and prayer to this, and be wise in your spending. 

Is December 25 Really His Birthday? 

There are some folks who want to scrap the whole thing because, as they say, “It’s not really the day.” Although it probably is not the exact day, I’m still not sympathetic to the “no-Christmas” antagonists. 

We don’t know the day, but it’s quite all right, I believe, to celebrate His birth. December 25 is the date set aside to do it. So let’s do it! If I did not know when my birthday was, I’d still want to make a to-do about it. 

I’ve known a couple of people who didn’t know their birth dates, so they just picked a day and celebrated it as their birthday. Sounds good to me! 

I do hope and pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas—safe, sensible, scriptural and full of the joy of the Lord! Amen! 

Be a Blessing to Others! 

Christmas is truly a very special season, and it affords us the opportunity to tell others that they are a blessing to us. Think about all the people who serve you all year long. The restaurants, the Jiffy market, the doctor’s office, the car wash—all the folks there help us all twelve months of the year. So, what if we said to them, “Merry Christmas, and thank you for all your kindness to me all year.” You could hand them a Christmas card. If you can afford it, a gift card would be nice. 

Whether it be something large or small, who doesn’t like to be rewarded with a present at Christmastime? As good as it feels to get a gift, I’m convinced it feels even better to give a gift. 

Let’s think this through and see if we can find a way to “be a blessing to others” this Christmas.