Hello,
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday evening I was driving into Greensburg to a meeting
at church, and as I came up Otterbein Street to turn south on Main St, my eyes
caught a woman across the street waving a sign, as if in protest, which said,
“KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS!”
As I scanned the corner on which she stood, the corner where
the county courthouse stands, I noticed that behind her a live manger scene was
being set up. A simple stable had
been constructed, and in it were adults portraying Joseph, Mary, shepherds,
angels and wisemen. On occasion
throughout the year you will find various church groups gathering on the
grounds of the courthouse to publically pray and entreat people to follow a
cause for which they believe the government has gone astray. Apparently on this evening this
particular church group had reserved the public square to assert their concern
that someone (The government? Society? Commercial interests?) was attempting to
take Jesus Christ out of Christmas.
Although I applaud this church’s zeal, I think their message
a bit misleading, misleading in that it seemed to imply that anyone could take
Christ out of Christmas. Remember,
from the very beginning there were those who tried to take Christ out of
Christmas…..the Romans demanding that a pregnant young woman travel 70 miles
over rough terrain could have caused a miscarriage and kept Christ out of
Christmas…the citizens of Bethlehem whose cold welcome of that same pregnant
woman sending her to a cow’s home to give birth could have brought disaster to
Christ’s birth…..King Herod whose determination to rid himself of any threat to
his throne could have brought a quick end to Christ’s part in Christmas. But none succeeded then, and none will
succeed now because it was God who placed Jesus Christ in Christmas, and anyone
who wants to take on God in a tug of war to take Jesus Christ out of Christmas
will find themselves soon exhausted, their hands blistered with rope burns, and
in humiliation giving up.
Romans 8:38,39 says, “For I am convinced that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I’ve never heard this verse read at a
Christmas service, but maybe is should be. After all, isn’t the unstoppable love of God for his
children what Christmas is all about?
So, maybe I should find out which church was providing that
live nativity on the courthouse square, see if they plan on doing it again next
year, and offer to give them a different sign to wave….. “FEAR NOT. GOD KEEPS CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS! (and in
every other day too!)”
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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