CHRISTMAS CONTROVERSIES...

Matt. 1:21-25; Eph.2:6-11
      “Ah…Christmas!”, say some. Others mutter, “Bah! Humbug!” The controversies begin anew each year as the Christmas Season comes.  People raise issues as to when Christ was born. Others question whether Christians should even celebrate Christmas because of its “pagan origins” beginning with the emperor Constantine who ‘Christianized many pagan celebrations’ in an effort to make holy his empire. (Actually, the birth of Christ was celebrated for over 300 years before Constantine.)
     We also raise issue as to whether Christians should decorate trees in commemoration of the season, since these too, have pagan roots. And then, there are those who seek to remove Christ from the season altogether, replacing Him with Santa Claus, but wishing to retain some respectability, emphasize the “spirit of the Season”. I could go on, but you know of the controversies which arise, ad nauseaum.
      When some people will not accept the facts, they turn to fake news in an attempt to thwart the truth.  Even when truth is not accepted, truth remains true. The clear evidence points to the fact that Jesus was born to be the savior of mankind, this is a matter of both religious and secular record. That He was born for this purpose is consistently attested to in Scripture.
        Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension back into Heaven are testimonies  of God’s great love for fallen mankind. The salvation from the penalty of sin is God’s gift offered by His grace. When God’s gift is received, we celebrate, rejoicing in His mercy. When this great gift is rejected, we deliberate or seek to eliminate this gift by substitution.
        In his letter to the Philippians, Paul mentioned that there were those who “preached Christ even of envy and strife” and “of contention” (Phil.1:15-16). His response was, “ What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.(1:18) KJV
       Like it or not, try and replace it if you will, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is still being acknowledged in some form or fashion all over the world. Which raises the question, “Why?”. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Maybe there really is something about that name!
 
      It was because they so often heard  their grandparents speak about Jesus, invoking His name in virtually every circumstance of life, that this chorus came into being. Take a moment and sing, “There’s Something About That Name”.    Indeed, there is!