So I haven't posted anything in a while and I've been trying to work on something but it just isn't quite done yet. However, there has been a lot on my mind with Christmas coming soon and there were some things I wanted to write about so I thought I would just sit down and write this now and worry about what I've been working on later.
This morning I had the radio tuned to a local variety station that is currently only playing Christmas music (surprise, surprise) and the music only from Handel's Messiah's Hallelujah Chorus started playing. I waited for the words to start but they never did so I just sang along myself from what I knew. I found it funny though that a radio station would play the music from such a blatantly Christian song, but not put the words with it. I was glad that they played the music at least but it made me think about the whole issue of not recognizing the real meaning of Christmas in a whole new light. It does upset me to see this holiday be contorted into what people want to make of it and not celebrate it for what it really is- a memorial of when God sent Jesus down to earth- but as much as it upsets me, I realized something about it today.
Those people that are offended when they are wished a Merry Christmas instead of a Happy Holiday don't want to face the truth, and they know deep down that it is truth. Why else would it offend them? If they really believed that this holiday shouldn't be celebrated for its real meaning, they wouldn't care what people said about it, to them or to others. Listening to the Hallelujah Chorus without any words, singing along under my breath made me realize what I guess this radio station might have already realized: The people who are celebrating the fact that Christ came down to save us are going to have the true meaning of Christmas alive in their hearts whether others want to believe it's about Jesus or not. It's one of those things that made me smile smugly. Not because I've done anything smug but because nobody can steal the true meaning of Christmas because they don't like the fact that it's about Jesus. Nobody can steal the joy that I have on Christmas or any other of the 364 days of the year because Christmas lasts for me all year round. The reason for the season is Jesus and no matter how much some people want it to be about kids or presents or lights or toys, the real reason is alive and one day, every knee will bow to Him. I say we might as well start by acknowledging the fact that shepherds did it 2000 years ago.
“How could it be so?”
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
And what happened then? Well…in Whoville they say, That the Grinch’s small heart Grew three sizes that day!
This morning I had the radio tuned to a local variety station that is currently only playing Christmas music (surprise, surprise) and the music only from Handel's Messiah's Hallelujah Chorus started playing. I waited for the words to start but they never did so I just sang along myself from what I knew. I found it funny though that a radio station would play the music from such a blatantly Christian song, but not put the words with it. I was glad that they played the music at least but it made me think about the whole issue of not recognizing the real meaning of Christmas in a whole new light. It does upset me to see this holiday be contorted into what people want to make of it and not celebrate it for what it really is- a memorial of when God sent Jesus down to earth- but as much as it upsets me, I realized something about it today.
Those people that are offended when they are wished a Merry Christmas instead of a Happy Holiday don't want to face the truth, and they know deep down that it is truth. Why else would it offend them? If they really believed that this holiday shouldn't be celebrated for its real meaning, they wouldn't care what people said about it, to them or to others. Listening to the Hallelujah Chorus without any words, singing along under my breath made me realize what I guess this radio station might have already realized: The people who are celebrating the fact that Christ came down to save us are going to have the true meaning of Christmas alive in their hearts whether others want to believe it's about Jesus or not. It's one of those things that made me smile smugly. Not because I've done anything smug but because nobody can steal the true meaning of Christmas because they don't like the fact that it's about Jesus. Nobody can steal the joy that I have on Christmas or any other of the 364 days of the year because Christmas lasts for me all year round. The reason for the season is Jesus and no matter how much some people want it to be about kids or presents or lights or toys, the real reason is alive and one day, every knee will bow to Him. I say we might as well start by acknowledging the fact that shepherds did it 2000 years ago.
This is sort of unrelated but at the same time related. This is my favorite part of the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas and I thought I would post it here for others to appreciate if they don't have time to go cue up the movie to this. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
 |
“How could it be so?”
“It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!”
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
And what happened then? Well…in Whoville they say, That the Grinch’s small heart Grew three sizes that day!