MERRY CHRISTMAS OR HAPPY HOLIDAYS? (2 OF 2)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: John 1:9-13
This content is part of a series.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? (2 of 2)
Series: God's Action Plan
Jeff Strite
John 1:9-13
OPEN: ''Feliz Navitoss'' (a video from Focus on the Family talking about ''tossing'' advertising and catalogues from companies that don't want to mention Christmas. It can be seen at http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005834.cfm)
APPLY: It's become something of an annual cultural battle - businesses and community leaders slowly attempting to substitute ''Happy Holidays'' for ''Merry Christmas''. Now, for the most part, Christians are winning those battles… but I have a suspicion that it's going to be an ongoing fight for the rest of our lives.
Many people - from the ACLU to various politicians, businessmen and educators - are continually attempting to remove Jesus from the nation's consciousness.
Why? Well, let's face it, Christmas is - by it's very name - unabashedly Christian.
It's Christmas… ''CHRIST - mas''
It's kind of hard to remove Jesus from a holiday that bears His name, unless, of course, you change the name of the season… which is what a lot of people are trying to do.
Now, in John 1 we're told that just getting Christ ''into'' Christmas wasn't an easy task.
Look again at John 1:10-11 ''He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.''
They didn't recognize Him? Didn't receive Him?
Yeah… and it all started from the moment of His birth.
Remember the story of the angels announcing the coming of Jesus to the shepherds? The Shepherds went to Bethlehem to check it out, and then Luke 2:20 tells us
''The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.''
They went to see the new born child announced by angels from heaven.
Do you think they kept this to themselves???
Not likely. But we're never told that anyone else ever tried to vis ...
Series: God's Action Plan
Jeff Strite
John 1:9-13
OPEN: ''Feliz Navitoss'' (a video from Focus on the Family talking about ''tossing'' advertising and catalogues from companies that don't want to mention Christmas. It can be seen at http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005834.cfm)
APPLY: It's become something of an annual cultural battle - businesses and community leaders slowly attempting to substitute ''Happy Holidays'' for ''Merry Christmas''. Now, for the most part, Christians are winning those battles… but I have a suspicion that it's going to be an ongoing fight for the rest of our lives.
Many people - from the ACLU to various politicians, businessmen and educators - are continually attempting to remove Jesus from the nation's consciousness.
Why? Well, let's face it, Christmas is - by it's very name - unabashedly Christian.
It's Christmas… ''CHRIST - mas''
It's kind of hard to remove Jesus from a holiday that bears His name, unless, of course, you change the name of the season… which is what a lot of people are trying to do.
Now, in John 1 we're told that just getting Christ ''into'' Christmas wasn't an easy task.
Look again at John 1:10-11 ''He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.''
They didn't recognize Him? Didn't receive Him?
Yeah… and it all started from the moment of His birth.
Remember the story of the angels announcing the coming of Jesus to the shepherds? The Shepherds went to Bethlehem to check it out, and then Luke 2:20 tells us
''The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.''
They went to see the new born child announced by angels from heaven.
Do you think they kept this to themselves???
Not likely. But we're never told that anyone else ever tried to vis ...
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