December 12, 2007 Luke 2:1

12/12/2007

Luke 2:1 - 12 (KJV)

¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. ²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) ³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) ⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. ⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

This passage is probably familiar to most people. Certainly if you have seen “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown” you have heard Linus recite this passage as part of the Christmas pageant. And yet, there is another character in TV that I want to discuss also. In the sitcom, Family Ties, there is an episode where Alex Keaton (Michael J. Fox) dreams a modernized version of “A Christmas Carol” and he himself is a modern-day Scrooge. In this episode, Christmas has been renamed “commerce-day.” For that is what it has come to symbolize.

That particular episode has stuck in my memory all these years because of its profound insight of what is happening. This year, we saw Christmas decorations in the stores immediately following Halloween. Two radio stations began playing exclusively Christmas music the day after Halloween. The retailers bombard us with messages that if we love someone, we will buy their product as a gift to show it. The day after Thanksgiving is called “Black Friday” because that is the day when retailers go from operating at a loss (in the red) to operating at a profit (in the black). Indeed, this is considered the largest grossing sales day of the entire year.

Furthermore, various other holidays and festivals have arisen as a means to diminish Christmas as a celebration of Christ; Ramadan - the Islam knock-off of Christmas, Chanuchah (Hanukah) - the Jewish festival of lights, Kwanza - a made-up tradition, and Dwali - the Hindu festival of lights. Workplaces forbid “Christmas” parties and decoration because some people of other religion and culture might find it offensive. Some stores have abandoned the “Merry Christmas” slogans in favor of the less committal “Happy Holidays”.

And in the middle of this, churches struggle to keep the central message central.

Whether or not Jesus was born on December 25 is of little consequence to me. What is important is that we have chosen this day to celebrate the birth of our Savior. The idea of giving gifts was originally done to commemorate the wise men who brought tribute to Jesus. But the idea of gift-giving seems to have eclipsed the idea that God in the form of a baby was born.

As we embark on this season, take time each day to reflect on the fact that YOUR savior came to earth 2000 years ago in the form of a baby. This season should be dedicated to Him. Don’t allow yourself to be trapped in the modern-day diversions. Remember that Christmas is about Christ.

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