Merry Christmas

Editor: I wish to all a Merry Christmas at this time of year. Christ is the central theme, not the party, the drinking, not the food, not the religious services and surely not the giving of gifts to each other instead of to Christ. With that I can agree with two other writers last week. It is about Christ.

Each of the two writers wanted to basically say that we shouldn’t be celebrating Christmas, as we are not sure of the exact date, nor, as they erroneously state, nowhere in Scripture are we told to celebrate his birth.{{more}}

Was I the only one who noticed they each gave credit to a different person on two different continents as stating Christmas would be December 25, and each declaration was centuries apart. A look on the Internet turned up a third person, who gave several plausible dates of Christmas. So, maybe the two writers’ search for truth somehow missed it?

For years, every year this controversy comes up. In years gone by, some mentioned the shepherds don’t go out in the winter. I have in my possession an article written by a man saying that while he was there in December, the shepherds did go out – for short distances. Which would account for the empty stable, making room for Mary and Joseph, the shepherds being told to go to Bethlehem and returning after leaving their sheep unattended for the hours they were gone.

There is never a discussion of “…the course of Abia” (Luke 1:5) as to when Zacharias would be working in the temple, and when he would return home, and nine months later his wife would have a child named John the Baptist. John was born six months before Jesus. I could count on two hands which month that would be.

They take the position we shouldn’t celebrate, because we are not told to.

Did I miss something here? In all the world, who had a special star put in the sky when they were born? That question Herod asked the wise men in Matthew 2:7 isn’t what time at night, but how long ago did this star appear? That formed the basis for Herod to mandate the murder of all infants (Matthew 2:16) under two years old. That pagan king at least understood when confronted with the truth, what that star was all about. A king had been born.

Did I miss something else? The shepherds were visited by angels. They came with a message from God. Other than Mary and Joseph and Zacharias seeing angels, Israel had not heard a word from God in over 400 years since Malachi the prophet was on the earth. That makes this a special event. Did I notice they were told some very good news, not to be kept secret, but to rejoice.

God himself sent his angels to announce to the world a Saviour was born. He is the one who was prophesied would come – 1,500 years before He was born. That Saviour, who was born to die for the sins of the world, is still saving people today from their sins, and will return to be King.

Merry Christmas, and remember wise men still seek Him.

In Christ,

Alan Berry