There is Hope! Christmas Under Fire, Conclusion
"When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get
up,' he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there
until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.' So he
got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where
he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said
through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'" (Matt 2:13-15 NIV)
So Christ, with His parents, under the advisement of God our Father, was chased
out of Bethlehem due to the circumstances, His birthplace, for His own safety!
Similarly, in many Western countries, Christ is being chased out of Christmas.
The term "Merry Christmas" is considered "intolerant", and has been replaced
with "Happy Holidays". Even the English word "Christmas" has been changed to
"Xmas"! Fortunately the world doesn't know that the X still stands for Christ,
or that would probably be changed as well! Even Christmas plays in schools have
been replaced with World Festivals that honour all religions!
In all of this we can't help but ask ourselves, why do the
Western Nations still celebrate
Christmas? Where is the Christ, the reason of these festivities, in all of this?
But let's remember that God is greater than these circumstances! After Herod's
death, Christ came back to Israel. He returned to do what He does best: To save
us despite our shortcomings!
Reykjavik, Iceland is now considered one of the cleanest cities in the world.
Gone is the coal that was once used for heating. Gone is the heavy black smog
that used to cover the city. Gone are the diseases associated with pollution
that threatened all of its inhabitants.
Reykjavik's air is now crisp, clean, clear and fresh. All polluting energy
sources have been replaced with the abundant geo-thermal energy. In fact, energy
is the cheapest commodity in Iceland, so cheap that Icelanders leave their
windows open during the winter, and as a result, asthma and the common cold are
almost non-existent.
There is hope for humanity!
Christ cannot be taken away from Christmas. His presence can be felt by us not
only on this special day, but every day of the year. He is alive, and no matter
how we try to hide the fact, He will come back for us. On that day, everyone
will stop rushing to and fro. Everyone will realize that there is more to life
than our own ego. On that day, everyone will kneel before Him, for He is truly
the only One worth worshipping! The black smog called sin
will eventually dissipate as Christ promised us!
Just as the once heavily-polluted Reykjavik is now one of the cleanest cities on
Earth, we can experience purity now in the presence of our Saviour, where any
polluting endeavours of our world strangely become dim. Who cares what they call
Christmas now-a-days! It is still Christmas to us who believe! We have reason to
celebrate! Jesus is alive! No matter what attempts were made on His life, no one
can snatch Him away from us. He is the One who rose from the dead. He is the One
who offers us victory! Hallelujah!
Merry Christmas my friends! Enjoy His company. He's unlike anyone on earth!
Rob Chaffart