Some people think
there is a "war on Christmas".
Mostly in western countries in Canada, there appears to be some
government, educational or business environments that forbid their employees to
use the term "merry Christmas."
"Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays" appear to
have more public acceptability. It is
politically correct now to say, "Season's Greetings." That way Christianity is honored and
non-Christians are not offended.
My favorite coffee got
into trouble this year when Starbucks removed the Christmas label from their
cups. Of course Christians have not sat
idly taking this without complaint.
Social media and the news has been full of irate Christians abandoning
stores that refuse to say, "Merry Christmas." Facebook is full of
posts that encourage Christians to affirm "Merry Christmas."
Now if Christians
really want to be biblical, Merry Christmas isn't the best Advent Greeting
either! Listen to these greetings
recorded in the Gospels:
& Matthew 1:20 (ESV) 20 But as he considered these things,
behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son
of David, do not fear to take
Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
& Luke 1:13 (ESV) 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for
your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and
you shall call his name John.
& Luke 1:30 (ESV) 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you
have found favor with God.
& Luke 2:10 (ESV) 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring
you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
The most common Advent
greeting in the Bible is, "Do not fear." Now I want you to know that
this is not an original idea. Reading a Christmas
devotional book by Warren Wiersbe[1] gave me
this concept. But I think it's an
important and relevant idea. Recently I
listened to a news segment by CBC's reporter Neil McDonald[2]. His assessment of 2015 was it was "A
Year of Fear." In his piece
·
He pointed
to our fear of ISIS.
·
He pointed
to our politicians who amplified the sounds of threat from the Middle East.
·
He
reminded us of the hundreds of refugees leaving their countries in fear.
·
Which in
turn prompted our fear of them.
·
McDonald
suggested that Harper lost the election whereby the former Prime Minister
championed fear of the niqab, fear of refugees, fear of the other parties, etc.
·
Of course
who would forget that in November, for the second time in 2015, Paris was rocked
by senseless murder and fear.
·
Now Prime
Minister Trudeau is looking at the refugees with more fear; and the USA has
closed its border.
·
McDonald
quoted the New York Times that polled its audience and found that 75% of its
readers live in constant apprehension.
Neil McDonald called
this year a "dark year". Of
course only the insensitive would disagree.
It was a year of fear. Yet on the
front stage of this backdrop, the true biblical Christmas greeting calls out,
"Fear not!"
Is the Bible a new
novel by a positive thinking guru calling us to ignore reality? Absolutely
not. Rational, realistic apprehension is
part of human existence. But there is a
reality that changes our focus. Not by
denying what is real, but by focusing on what is of greater significance. It's kind of like going to work with a
headache and dropping an anvil on your toe.
Suddenly you head doesn't hurt as much!
When we look at the more significant truth of "fear not" its
takes the sting out to the lesser truth of real fear.
Here's the more
significant truth: Jesus Christ came to earth to take the bite out of
fear. Thus the Christmas greeting to all
is "fear not." There are 3
mammoth fears that Christ addresses:
#1.
A fear we
all have is a fear of suffering. My mother once told me that she was scared to
die, she just didn't like the idea of dying.
We all avoid suffering as much as we can. Pain is painful.
Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a perfect life. Yet as He faced His most painful event, the
Cross, He said to His disciples: ““Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in
me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told
you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be
also.” (John 14:1–3, ESV) .
Today, those of us who have trusted Christ, are on, what Bunyan would
call, a journey to the Celestial City. Christ has prepared a place for us. It is so magnificent, words cannot express
it's glory. In fact when the Apostle
Paul considered the suffering of this life in comparison, he wrote, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal
weight of glory beyond all comparison,” (2 Corinthians 4:17, ESV).
Paul's not minimizing our pain, nor marginalizing it. Paul is saying that the suffering of this
life compared to the eternal wonders of Heaven can only be described as
"light" and "momentary".
#2.
Another
fear we have is regarding the consequences of our wrongdoing. Each one of us knows in the depths of our
hearts that someday we will face God.
The Bible says, “And just as it is appointed
for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27, ESV).
We know God has to be just and fair; and we know we have sinned. Jesus came to deal with that fear. The Bible teaches us “For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that
the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17, ESV). Through His life and death, Jesus has made
full provision for our salvation from God's judgment.
#3.
Lastly, the worst enemy of all
is death. Death is the result of sin. Death will likely come to all of us. But Jesus Christ came to destroy death. The Apostle Paul signaled this truth when he
wrote, ““O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The
sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians
15:55–57, ESV). Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and
the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” (John 11:25, ESV) .
Truly we can say, as
Christians, "Fear not."
Suffering has hope. Judgment has no condemnation. Death has no
sting. In the Christmas carol, 'God Rest
Ye Merry Gentlemen' we sing this stanza:
"Fear not,
then," said the angel,
"Let nothing you affright;
This day is born a Savior
Of a pure virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in him
From Satan's power and might."
"Let nothing you affright;
This day is born a Savior
Of a pure virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in him
From Satan's power and might."
Wiersbe concludes his short devotional by asking, "Ponder what could
happen if Christians began to greet others with alternative biblical phrases.
What might people think, and how might they respond, to a reassuring 'Fear not!'?"[3]
[1] Wiersbe, Warren W.; Wiersbe, David W. (2012-10-01). C
Is for Christmas: The History, Personalities, and Meaning of Christ's Birth (p.
82-83). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[2]
http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/2015-a-year-of-fear-1.3375879
[3] Wiersbe, Warren W.; Wiersbe, David W. (2012-10-01). C Is for Christmas:
The History, Personalities, and Meaning of Christ's Birth (p. 83). Baker
Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
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