Merry Christmas! I know that every year we lament the generic “happy holidays” greeting. We grumble about sales associates that assault us with that somewhat cowardly greeting, as if they are afraid of offending someone who doesn’t believe in or celebrate Christmas. I’ve gotten over it. They may greet me as they please; I can’t control their actions. But my reply to those and my greeting to others is and always will be “Merry Christmas”.
Why? Because I truly want each and every person to have a wonderful, joyful, loving Christmas season and especially a Christmas Day. It doesn’t matter if a person is atheist, Jewish, Muslim, a naturalist, a Wiccan, or even a satanist, I want them to know the joy of Christ and be able to celebrate His birth in the true sense of the event. Not just a time of bright lights, gifts, and family gatherings, but a time of celebration of the birth of the Savior of the world.
You see, the only way we can honesty celebrate the birth of Christ is when it is the culmination of a life lived in the power of Christ. Celebrating Christmas means we are celebrating Jesus birth, yes, but it also means we are celebrating His atoning death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave. It means we are celebrating the forgiveness of our sin and our righteousness before the father because of his spilt blood. It means we are celebrating the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to experience joy in troubled times, happiness in times of struggle, peace in times of conflict, and faith in days of doubt. We are, in fact celebrating another year lived in the glorious presence of God in our lives. We are celebrating the certainty of an eternal life because our names are written in the Lamb’s book of Life.
So yes, I greet people with”Merry Christmas” because that is what I wish for them; to know and experience Jesus on a daily basis and to know heaven awaits them. I really feel for them if that makes them mad.
Say good things about your church and about your Savior.
Bro. Tony