Good News From The War on Christmas

For many, especially Christians, it seems long overdue. But basically, it appears that many of the nation’s top retailers have recognized, maybe not of their own choice, that the season we are now in will again be referred to as “Merry Christmas” around their premises. Like it or not, the name of Christ will be front and center along with some of the more recent, and totally secular, greetings.

It seems hard to escape the reality of connecting Merry Christmas with the holiday, that is if you can read at a third grade level. Like it or not or say it or not - it is all about Him. The millions spent on gifts are just evidence that the season is truly His. They serve as a biblical reminder of the greatest gift ever given to man – a gift beyond any dollar amount and far beyond any imaginable earthly value. It is a gift that is priceless, precious and will never wear out or be lost. It is eternal!

It appears now that pressure from customers and organizations, especially like American Family Association, have finally placed enough pressure in boycott form to turn the tide and bring the term “Merry Christmas” back into vogue – or at least be deemed as an acceptable greeting. Many major store chains like Walmart, Target, Sears and the Gap have come along side. As one major chain CEO stated, "The politically correct holiday verbiage is going away. Companies are getting the message."

But there are still some boycotted targets this year including Dick’s Sporting goods and Radio Shack who have still resisted simply giving Christ any due for a few short weeks in December.

"This seems rather foolish since shoppers vote with their wallets every day," said Ellen Davis, a VP at the National Retail Federation. "We see the word Christmas being used much more this year than three or four years ago. The pendulum seems to have swung back. Retailers certainly tread carefully when it comes to the subject of Christmas. This year's NRF/Big Research survey found that 91 percent of consumers plan to celebrate Christmas, compared with 5% for Hanukkah and 2% for Kwanzaa. Finally, Merry Christmas will resound more freely and not just ‘happy holiday’s or ‘season's greetings’. There will be Christmas sales and Christmas trees and Christmas carols galore – an amazing concept to occur at Christmas!”

The recent shelving of the term using the Savior’ s name has been a mere reflection and symptom of a nation that has lost its spiritual foundation and missed the light of the world (John 8:12) having been blinded by the artificial glitter and glamour of the super-season. But the most serious part of this truth and trend is not just being greeted with “Happy Holidays” instead of "Merry Christmas". It is rather the total ignorance of the person of the Christ of Christmas and especially why he traded the glory of heaven for a frail temporary human body. That knowledge is not just about how one refers to a national holiday, but about an understanding about the most serious of all of life’s ramifications – both now and in eternity!

Hopefully, during what is a temporarily spiritually heightened season, there will be some that will come to fully understand why ‘Merry Christmas’ is not only the correct term, but something that represents the most crucial internal change and blessing ever offered to any man. Christ is, as they say, ‘the reason for the season’. And the reasons He came as fully God wrapped in human flesh, some 20 centuries ago include the following:

1. He came wrapped in human flesh to reveal and illustrate the love, glory, and character of the eternal Creator God: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

2. He came to put an end to the rule of God’s arch-enemy and ultimately defeat Him fully. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

3. He came as Savior to rescue humanity from the power, plague, and the judgement of sin: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:12)

4. He came as Savior to be ‘Emmanuel’ - to live inside all true believers now and forever: “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (Matthew 1:21-23)

5. He came as savior and Lord to fully, and forever, set free and change the hearts of all who would trust Him personally through trusting faith: “Therefore if the Son makes you free , you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

6. And he came to do what little Linus said on stage in the classic cartoon classic, “Charlie Brown Christmas”:

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:8-14)

The Christ of Christmas came to die in our place in order save us from our sins, make us all new creations, and create an eternal dwelling place where we will dwell forever with Him in heaven someday. So If you know that on a personal level, by all means, have a blessed, joy-filled, Christ-honoring, celebration. And take the opportunity, at this sacred and significant season, to tell others exactly why Christmas is so very merry to you as a child of Emmanuel.

Bill Breckenridge