As soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my
ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Luke 1:44
Just about the time Americans have devoured the last Thanksgiving turkey leftovers,
sad-faced TV newscasters tell them that it "looks like a bad Christmas" this
year. What they mean is that sales in retail stores may be down during the upcoming
shopping season. And that makes for a "bad" Christmas.
We understand why this is news. Many companies need a year-end consumer spending frenzy to
stay afloat financially. Yet there's something in me that doesn't like people talking
about a "bad" Christmas, even when it refers to poor retail sales. How can the
celebration of the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, ever be bad?
Let's look at that familiar story again. In the months before Jesus was born, Mary
ventured to a nearby town to visit her relative Elizabeth, who also was expecting a child.
As soon as Mary spoke, the baby in Elizabeth's womb leaped for joy (Luke 1:44). There was
excitement in the air for those who knew the true identity of Mary's baby.
Let's recapture that joyous excitement by refocusing our attention on the event we
celebrate, rather than on the celebration of the event. It is Jesus' birth we are
honoring, and that always makes for a good Christmas.
-JDB
Beyond all else the day should be
A day of holiest memory
When all the world should joyfully
See Christ, the Lord, in Christmas.
-Anon.
Every Christmas is good when we focus on the good news of Jesus.