Ridgell's Originals

Was Jesus born on Christmas day?  Some churches go out of their way to celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus.  A time to celebrate joy, hope, peace, and love.  Candlelight services on Chritmas Eve.  Nativity plays.  Others go out of their way to not make Christmas any different.  Carefully explaining why we ought to celebrate every Sunday -- even every day -- the same.  Except of course, they rarely celebrate anything.

And both of these miss the point.  Burying the lead so to speak.

The point is not what day Jesus was born.  The point is that he was born at all.  That God sent His own Son into the world to live among us.  That he grew up and showed us how to live.  That he died so our sins could be forgiven.  That he was raised, defeating death for all time.

Make Christmas a big deal at church.  Or don't.  

But you better make Jesus a big deal.  

And if you want to celebrate, get after it.  Churches don't celebrate enough.

Celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Celebrate his resurrection.

Celebrate the new births.  Physical births among our church.  Even better, celebrate spiritual new births.  We need more baptism parties.

Celebrate the prodigals who come home.

If you don't want to make Christmas a big deal, then don't.  But maybe lay off the sermons about how churches that do have it all wrong.

If you want to make Christmas a big deal, then do.  But maybe lay off the sermons about how churches that do not just don't get it.

But above all, hold up Jesus.

And let's have more joy in our assemblies.  After all...

Joy to the world, the Lord has come.

That is the real message. 

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM