What Does Christmas Mean to You?
In my previous article “How to Make Christmas Special Not Stressful” I focused on the gifting part of the season. In this one I want to focus on the purpose of the season. What makes this holiday different than Mother’s Day, Valentines, or take your child to work day?
I find it interesting that people who have no interest in Christianity sometimes get very excited about Christmas. Toys for Tots, Tuesday Giving Day, Christmas Parades, Light Shows, the list goes on and on. All the energy spent on a holiday created to honor the birth of Jesus who they do not know and do not want to know.
What should Christians do at this time of the year? There are those who say it was started to replace a pagan holiday and so we should not do anything. Some fear offending someone, so they change it to Season’s Greetings. Some feel that it has become so commercialized that the message is entirely lost so we should protest it.
While I cannot claim to have the mind of God on this issue. I do think that, like Paul did when he saw the memorial to the unknown god in Athens (Acts 17:22-31), we should use the things that have our neighbor’s attention to create an opportunity to point them to Jesus. Surely there is no easier time to do that than the Christmas season. We have a month (or more) of wide-open opportunity to preach Jesus – not just a babe in a manger, but Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of mankind. Born with a purpose – to die at Calvary, to redeem sinners from their sins. To free men and women from the bondage of sin. To break sin’s chains that enslave us to destruction.
I challenge you this year to share the gospel without listening to the devil who is whispering in your ear “you might offend someone”. You might, but if they will not listen now – when will they listen?
“Therefore, the one who confesses and acknowledges Me before men [as Lord and Savior, affirming a state of oneness with Me], that one I will also confess and acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 10:32 AMP
If you will not share the gospel now – when will you?
