Because the holidays and Holy days can get a little mixed up

If you didn’t take time to ponder the picture, please do so now…I will wait for you.

Let it sink in.

Because it captures the mixed messages that we struggle with…that the world struggles with…that our culture struggles with.

We know that commercialism threatens the sacred celebration of Christ’s birth.

We want in our hearts to hold fast to Truth and yet the story parts…

such as the idea that He was actually born on December the 24th in a sweet little stable and that somehow there was a  gentle snow falling around it like the opening strains to some Disney movie are quite appealing and hard to let go of.

The date is unknown…the conditions far from perfect…and (gasp) we don’t really know how many wise men were there and they didn’t arrive on Christmas Eve.

The angels scared the living daylights out of the shepherds so we can’t even grasp the magnitude of that sight.

Our jumble of children’s story books and Christmas movies and our desire to get all the feel-good moments out of the season that we can manage can most assuredly send a mixed message to those around us who will happily celebrate all the festivities and miss the Feast.

The Peace He brought was our reconciliation to the God we are so prone to turn away from.

For all of us have sinned…

all of us have fallen short…

all of us were hopelessly lost…

but God so loved us that He sent His one and only Son…

that whoever would place his or her faith in His death as a payment for his or her sin…

whoever would receive the gift of salvation offered through His atonement for that sin…

this one would be given the right to be called a son or daughter.

This one would be forgiven and reconciled back to God.

Now and Forever. Eternally.                    Romans 3:23-25; John 3:16; John 1:12

Sin is part of who we are. It is our nature.

But God in His mercy took on our sin and gave us in exchange His righteousness.

And THIS is the Good News of Christmas

THIS is Peace on Earth <3