December 20 (Acts 4:12)
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
(ESV)
Merry
Zeusmas! Have a great Thormas! Hope you enjoy Bobmas with your family! So, are you going anywhere special this
Nancymas?
There is a reason
no one says such things. There is a
reason that if someone did, we would think he was crazy. Zeus, Thor, and their like are false gods,
mere fictions, and Bob and Nancy are names of ordinary human beings. In short, none of them has warranted such celebration
as we see at Christmas, and for good reason.
Not one human being other than Jesus has the power to save, and
certainly no god created by powerless humans can do it.
I recently read
an article suggesting that people do not need to be Christians to celebrate
Christmas, and this is certainly true.
It went on, however, to suggest that Christmas was really no more than a
pagan holiday that had been viewed through a Christian lens and now, in the 21st
century, is once again a time stripped of its Christian meaning. To this I would simply say, look at the
word. We are not celebrating Ra or
Buddha at Christmas. Whether a person
acknowledges it or not, Christmas, like the rest of life, is first, last, and
always about Jesus.
Lord, as the days pass rapidly heading toward Christmas, help me not to get so caught up in holiday stress and year-end business that I miss the chance to pause and honor You, born as a human, just like me, but capable of saving me from the penalty of sin. As I focus on this truth, help me to shine its glory for those around me, far brighter than any decorative lights I may hang. In the name of the One Who is the way, the truth, and the life, even Jesus my Lord, amen.
Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins
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