Do Not Remove the Christ from Christmas
Matthew 1:21 (NIV)
“She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” – Matthew 1:21 (NIV)
From time immemorial, there has always been a deliberate, consistent effort by satan and his emissaries to de-emphasise the birth, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christmas season is upon us once more and many will purchase Christmas cards with ‘merry x-mas’. The letter ‘x’ denotes something mysterious or unknown meant to be solved. In some other context, ‘x’ symbolises an entity whose existence is over, past and gone. Research has revealed that the meaning of the letter ‘x’ is associated with ‘Samekh’ in the Hebrew alphabet, which is the symbol of a serpent (or dragon) swallowing its own tail. Samekh means prop or bow, representing a person shooting an arrow by using a bow. The ‘x’ can also be interpreted as deleting Christ from Christmas.
Myer Pearlman, author of, “Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible” wrote, “Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew word, “Messiah” which means literally, “the anointed one”. The Collins English Dictionary defined the word “mas” as a Festival or Celebration. To remove Christ from the celebration means that there would be a Christ-less celebration, and therefore we should also avoid purchasing cards that simply say, “Happy Holidays”.
As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we know that Christmas attracts massive participation all over the world more than every other holiday. There are massive advertisements, sales promotions, and commercialisation by the products and service industries; their intention is to maximise profits. Tales of Santa Claus, elves, and reindeer are overshadowing the true story of the miraculous virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the reason why He came to save mankind. He is the true Light – John 8:12 (NIV).
As Christians, our duty is not only to spread the Gospel of His birth but also to let His light shine through us so that we may feed the poor, visit the inmates in prison, visit the shut-in, the elderly, the hospitals, the orphanages and institutions which house children and women who are victims of abuse, etc. and share Christ with them that their souls may be saved.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, as we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, we pray that You provide every monetary, material, and spiritual need required for us to speed the light of the Gospel among the fortunate and not-so-fortunate in society.
Help us as denominations to form a collaborative approach this Christmas in conducting this Jesus Rescue operation designed to snatch sinners from the jaws of hell. We take authority over the powers of darkness that are opposed to this operation and cast them into outer darkness, in Jesus’s name. Amen!
Read: Matthew 5:17; John 8:12
Bible Reading Guide: Psalms 139:1-10; 1 John 5; Daniel 11:36-45; Daniel 12
