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Reason for the Season by Robert Dean
Steel
Pastor of Cornerstone Pentecostal
Fellowship
Christmas is a time for reflection on the Babe in the
Manger. It is a time to thank the Lord
for His goodness and for His favour. It
is a time for Peace on Earth and Good Will to all Men. This following excerpt I think powerfully
explains the meaning of Christmas. I
know this phrase has been extensively but it puts in a nutshell what Christmas
is all about. Today we have powerful
social and political forces trying to take Christ out of Christmas. In some cities the Christmas tree is now
called the holiday tree. In many schools
pagents and nativity scenes have been removed.
Sometimes those who oppose Christmas have become too silly that their
efforts border on the bizarre. It has
even invaded the church world. Some
churches in their attempt to be politically correct no longer put nativity
scenes up or talk about the babe in the manger.
Christmas
in its simplest and purest form is a celebration of a Saviour. He is Christ the Lord. I love the speech Linus Van Pelt gives in the
Charlie Brown Christmas special. Here is
Charlie Brown fussing about what Christmas and finally in frustration he cries
out, “Does anyone know what Christmas is really all about. That is when Linus comes forward and quotes
Luke 2:8-14,
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping
watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the
people. 11 Today in the town of
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rest
Christmas is a time for reflection and
worship. A time of giving love and
receiving love. A time of thanksgiving
for God’s love and goodness. Remembering
what Jesus has done. Yes, Jesus came as
a babe but He did not stay that way He grew up and changed the course of human
history. This little story by Philip
Brooks nicely explains Christmas.
One
Solitary Life
Here is a Young man who was born in an
obscure village, the Child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another village. He
worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty and then for three years He was
an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a
book. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the
place where He was born. He never did
one of the things usually accompany greatness.
He had no credentials but Himself.
While He
was still a Young Man, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. He went through a mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two
thieves. While He was dying, His
executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth and that
was His coat. When He was dead, He was
laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen
wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the central figure of the
human race and the leader of a progress.
No single person has affected humanity as this one solitary life.
