It is so hard to believe that the end of 2006 is here. What a year this has been! I think of so much that has happened and then I stand back in awe and wonder at the Christmas time. As an evangelist, I spend much of my time on the road preaching and speaking. My travel between engagements is often at night. Because of this, I am privileged to see so much of the country decked out in all its beauty and splendor. Lights, special designs, gifts, worship services and beautiful music all remind me that this time of the year is different. If I were to ask you what a “traditional Christmas” means, what enters your mind? For me it is the birth of Jesus Christ in the stable at Bethlehem many years ago. It is the story recorded in The Gospel of Luke chapter 2. A traditional Christmas for me is more than lights and giving of gifts. It is a special visitation of God to a man, a woman and a world at a specific time and place in history. Traditional means Angels with a message, shepherds, and a town in Judea. It was a small town. Not significant in kings and wealth but the visitation of God made it a world event. Many had no idea of the special significance of such a birth but those who were looking, expecting and anticipating, believed this was a world changing night. To have a “Traditional Christmas” can only mean thanksgiving and worship because anything other than that is only dressing over the real purpose. To have anything else is not a Christ event, which is the center of the tradition at this time of the year. All else falls short of a true Christmas. Consider the prophecy from the Old Testament. Consider the years of the silence of God during the Inter-testamental Period. Consider all of the events attached to the same season SINCE the birth of Jesus and you have only others trying to capitalize on the birth of Jesus. Consider the Passion and Cross of the adult Jesus. No matter how the modern society spins or attempts to change the focus, the heart of the matter is not the same without Jesus. God gave us Himself that night long ago. Think about this--without CHRIST in Christmas it is not the Christmas event. Everything else is a celebration and not a worship event. May I wish for each of you a “Traditional Christmas” and a most prosperous New Year. The New Year is also marked by the babe in the manager whom we worship and whose birth we praise—B.C. and A.D.
Sherman
Sherman R. Reed