Keeping CHRIST during Christmas
Every year it just seems to get worse. Now there’s talk about making “Black Friday” into “Black Thursday,” with big commercial stores beginning their “holiday sales” on Thanksgiving Day — infringing on the true meaning of both Thanksgiving and Christmas. And of course, we’ve noticed that advertising for “Christmas” is beginning even before Halloween in some quarters.
The total commercialization and materialization of what used to be sacred and spiritual can be very depressing and discouraging for those of us who still hold to their essential and original meanings. Unfortunately, it’s all in line with what Jesus said would happen in the last days, in Matthew 24:12-13: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
And so I want to speak a word of challenge and encouragement to those whose hearts have not grown cold, and who desire to stand firm to the end. Reaffirm with me the “reasons for the season” by keeping CHRIST in Christmas, with an acrostic which represents just six of the reasons we celebrate His birth, and who He is.
“C” is for coming as the Christ child, the king of glory who humbled Himself to be born of a virgin in a “rude and crude” stable manger — demonstrating the extent He would come down to — to meet us at our level, in order to lift us back up to the level God originally created us to live at with Him.
“H” is for coming as the divine Helper, Who is able to help us in every way in the needs and struggles we have as human beings living in a world full of difficulties and strife. As these are on the increase, so our need to acknowledge and reaffirm Him as our divine Helper increases along with them.
“R” is for coming as the Redeemer of all things … to reconcile us to God and to each other … to mend and heal our brokenness physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually — and ultimately to restore us and all of creation back to our original intent for eternity.
“I” is for coming as Immanuel — “God with us.” Jesus literally came as God-in-the-flesh — “the Word made flesh,” as the Gospel of John declares (1:1 ff.) In our actual experience of this reality, the essential meaning becomes “IN-man-You-dwell,” understanding that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, and promises to “never leave us or forsake us.”
“S” is for the one, the only, “Solo Savior” that I wrote about previously. No doubt you already know John 3:16 (if not, look it up), to which Jesus added the declaration: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) This segues naturally to the final reason we celebrate His birth …
“T” is for coming as the truth. In a world filled with relativism and no absolutes, which leads to meaningless absurdities and hopelessness, it’s vital to reaffirm that there is an absolute truth, and it is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Without His truth, everyone’s individual opinions become their God, the end of which is total chaos and bitter strife.
The world as a whole may not do it, but we who claim to believe in Him, and profess to follow Him, must reaffirm what Christmas is really all about, and keep CHRIST in Christmas. This will change our priorities and choices about how we celebrate the season, and will change US and others around us in the process. May you and yours truly have a blessed CHRISTmas.
Jon Pomeroy is pastor at Sandpoint Church of God.