“For the eyes of the
Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face
of the Lord is against those who do evil." And who is he who will harm you if you become
followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness'
sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be
troubled." But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be
ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is
in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they
defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be
ashamed.” 1 Peter 3:12-16
A favorite movie of mine at Christmas is,
“A Charlie Brown Christmas.” I have
always enjoyed the Peanuts cast and their lively fun and comedy,
and who doesn’t like Snoopy? Having
already seen it this season, I can certainly identify with Charlie Brown’s
exasperated plea, “Does anyone know what Christmas is really about?!” So many people rushing around, worried about shopping,
commercialism in full force . . .It can seem like the holiday season of family
and love, has been replaced with sales and gifts purchased in a tired run. I am always glad to see Linus step into the
spotlight and say, “Yes Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all
about,”
"And there were
in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their
flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of
the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said
unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and
saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward all
men.'" Luke 2:8-14
This is what we must do during Christmas,
is point people to the true reason for the season, Jesus Christ. What was once prominent in the community now
can get odd looks and names, when Jesus is pointed out. Yet as the scriptures above remind us, God is
always with us, and is pleased to receive praise and glory from his
children. The prophets told Israel that
the Lord would keep them despite the Assyrian and Babylonian reigns of terror,
because He had chosen them and given His Word to them. We still have his Word and promises. We know there will be a remnant until the
second coming (Romans 11:5.) Let us not
whisper, but proclaim ‘Merry Christmas’ from the ‘Prince of Peace!’
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