The time of the year when our thoughts turn to happy events like singing Christmas carols. Silent Night, Holy Night, Away In A Manger, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Chestnuts Roasting Under An Open Fire and Here Comes Santa Claus.
The stores are all decorated for the Christmas spirit and the special sales are in full swing. It’s time to make the list of all the things we need and want to buy for our friends and children and other relatives.
We have to buy that Christmas tree and some new decorations for the house and yard.
Can’t forget the grocery store for that big Christmas dinner. Turkey and all the trimmings. Desserts and candies.
Oh yes, and let’s not forget to plan for church services. After all what is Christmas?
How many of you have stopped to think that we celebrate Christmas because it is the birthday of Jesus Christ? And we celebrate His birthday because He died on the cross to pay for our sins.
I should qualify these statements by saying that this is why Christians celebrate Christmas. The next question is how many Christians even think about why they celebrate Christmas?
Then we have the twenty percent of our nation who celebrate Christmas as just another national holiday. In fact they prefer to call Christmas the Holiday Season.
After all during this time of the year we also have Kwanzaa and Hanukah.
So we have a choice, we can say Happy Hanukah or Happy Kwanzaa or Merry Christmas. Or just Happy Holiday!
But the truth of the matter is we have this holiday, a National Holiday, for one reason only. The birth of Jesus Christ.