Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Fourth Christmas Day
Luke 2:11 Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
KEEPING CHRISTMAS
"He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world ... and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge."
So concludes Charles Dickens classic story "A Christmas Carol". But as much as we might enjoy the tale, a question does hang in the air. Did he? Did Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge truly know how to keep Christmas well? Is the heart and soul of Christmas kindness and generosity, family gatherings and bountiful Christmas dinners?
Certainly these things -- along with traditions like decorations and gift-giving -- can be part of truly celebrating Christmas, for the joy of Christmas has always overflowed in a wealth of such expressions ... ever since the very angels of heaven could not contain themselves that first Christmas night but had to burst into celestial song. But the heart of Christmas is ever and always in the angels' message -- not our responses to it.
Because the message of the angels is the heart of Christmas there are better examples of keeping Christmas well than good old Ebenezer Scrooge -- as fond as we may be of the crotchety old fellow.
In truth, you, dear reader, may be an excellent example of keeping Christmas well -- if you center your heart's confidence on the fact that
this Savior was born for you, to set you right with God, and
if you pass on to others what you have seen and heard from the messengers God has sent to you, then you are truly keeping Christmas well.
Being generous and kind is truly part of keeping Christmas
-- when such actions flow from a heart that holds fast the Word from God regarding the Babe of Bethlehem, the world's Redeemer. 