The number of people who want to sell anything you can imagine during the Christmas season, but want to call a beautifully decorated evergreen anything but a Christmas tree amazes me. It is argued and discussed by politicians at every level of state and national government.
It is not the tree. It is the name of the tree. They want everything. Everything except the name. That name is Christ. They want to have all that is associated with Christmas, but the name Christ is more than they can accept.
Why not call it a Johnmas, Paulmas, Marymas, or Marthamas tree? The simple answer is what we call Christmas is not about any of these people - all of whom have good, honorable names. It’s simple. We would have no Christmas without Christ.
Ignorance, prejudice, bigotry and just plain stupidity abounds where most of us live. Voltaire, a writer and philosopher, no friend of religion and certainly not of the Christian faith once called prejudice, “An opinion without judgment.”
Some are willing to display all the human filth you could possibly imagine, but nothing that would even remotely suggest a belief in Jesus Christ. Some want to deny his first coming and brand His second coming as a foolish journey into futility.
Recently, we have read of the possibility of the end of the world on December 21. Am I alarmed about that? Not in the least. Do I believe that Christ will come again? I certainly do. When will that take place?
Jesus, when talking about that day of His second coming indicated it would be as quick as a flash of lightning and continued, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36). I suggest you read that entire chapter and sleep well. Just be ready because when God the Father decides it is time, there will no longer be any time left in which to get ready.
Do not measure your life or decide what you should do by the opinion of any person. Read the Word of God, the Holy Bible and live your life by what it teaches and being sure that you handle that Word carefully and understand it correctly.
Your salvation, eternal life and home in heaven will not be determined by how big and how beautifully your Christmas tree will be decorated.
When I was a boy as young as six and as old as 16, my dad and I would travel up the side of the mountain on which we lived, looking for an evergreen tree that would fit in our small house of two bedrooms and a kitchen. That was all we had - three rooms and a path, two small fireplaces and a cook stove. Any hot water was heated on the stove. On cold nights, it was common for ice to appear in the water bucket in the kitchen.
When I think of Christmas and our Christmas tree, it brings back memories of very happy and important times for our family. Some of the traditions we still follow. Such memories are confidence enhancers for me.
Christ, the Son of God, is the most prominent person named in the entire Bible. He is the one by whom all things were made, to whom all people must answer, before whom all men will bow, the one who all will one day confess as being Savior and Lord.
The Christ of Christmas is far superior to all presidents, preachers, pastors, priests, prophets, parents and people. He is our source of wisdom.
Worship and bring your best gifts to the Christ of Christmas.
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Dr. William “Bill” Ellis of Scott Depot is a weekly syndicated columnist who writes on a wide variety of subjects. Ellis has spent 25 years as a radio and television broadcaster and as a guest speaker and teacher on college campuses.
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