Your Daily Devotional for December 24, 2009
M@rlene
The Hope of Christmas
by Dr. Paul Chappell
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men."
Micah 5:2-5
The answer to our nation's moral problems is not found in our government, but in the Saviour.
This is usually the time of year when activists begin debating the saying "Merry Christmas." Perhaps you remember a few years ago when certain stores made it a point to be sure their employees said "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" so as not to offend anyone. Here's a news article from 1999 about a person who felt the celebration of Christmas un-constitutionally established a national religion:
"CINCINNATI, Ohio - Ruling that Christmas is celebrated by non-Christians as well as Christians, a judge in December 1999 threw out a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of observing December 25 as a federal holiday. U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott said in her dismissal of the lawsuit that just as Christians observe Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, non-Christians celebrate the occasion to welcome the arrival of Santa Claus.
"'Therefore,' she said, 'Christmas cannot be regarded as a holiday that establishes one religious faith above all others in violation of the demand for a separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.'"
Sadly many people want to take away from the original meaning of Christmas. They want to do all they can to remove the name of "Christ" from any greetings. Their goal is to see God removed from every aspect of society. Rather than creating new laws, fighting with opposition, or seeking an answer from government to fight those who stand against Christ and Christmas, we as Christians ought to be focused on the hope God gave us that first Christmas night.
The answer to our nation's moral problems is not in our government. Government is ruled by imperfect people, and no matter how pure their motives may be, they cannot change a nation that has turned away from God. While as citizens we should be involved in supporting biblical legislation, as Christians we must be focused on God's hope.
Notice God's message to His people through Micah, "And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men." Israel's hope wasn't found in a strong defense against its enemies, but in a Saviour who would come to save their souls.
Even so, our hope today is in Jesus Christ's work on Calvary nearly two thousand years ago. The Christmas story is one of joy, peace, fulfilled promise, and hope. God gave us all the present of an eternity with Him if we believe on Him.
Rather than becoming upset about the legal battles to strip Christmas of its true meaning, spend time reading God's Word and praising Him for His gift. Don't become so wrapped up in how the world treats Christmas that you forget God's hope this season.
To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.
Daily Bible Reading
Habakkuk | Revelation 15