W. Kent Levis
There seem to be those going about this Christmas asking why we should even celebrate Christmas. There complaint apparently, is that, at least in United States, we are no longer united, there is a pandemic that is still killing people, inflation is rampant, lawlessness is taking the lives in ever increasing numbers, not to mention the horror of abortion, and Christians seem to be coming under ever stronger attack. So, why do we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace in a world where there is no peace? Maybe this time we should just call out “Ho, HO, Ho”, drink another glass of eggnog, and call it a year. Ah, but we forget. Two thousand years ago, the first Christmas, Jesus came to a land impoverished by heavy taxation, and one in which the rulers did not really care about the best interests of their people. Herod quite literally tried to kill God, and in the process killed a whole lot of young boys. There was, obviously, no Christianity and the roman empire , was making the world a better place for themselves, and a worse place for everyone else. Jesus was not born into a very nice world. Jesus was born to bring God’s truth to a world that didn.t want to hear it., and He changed the world in which He lived, and the course of history. He has not forgotten or forsaken us, and so we celebrate Him, not our circumstances. Whether or not anyone else still believes in Him, or on Him, if you do you must celebrate Him. No matter what happens in our world, His existence, and His presence is a fact, and so in hard times, and in evil times, we are called to celebrate Jesus, so the world in which we live may see Him.
