Thought For The Day (TfTD)

What are the essentials of Christmas for you?

What does it take for you to have a Merry Christmas and how does it compare with the biblical story?

Hope for a better world

The Jews lived in hope for a better world.  They had hope for their families and communities.  This hope was expressed in their expectation of the arrival of the Messiah.  Isaiah 9.6-7 expresses that this hope.  It says:

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

The part of this passage that strikes me is the part that says, “unto us”.  Yes.  It’s personal.  It is unto us.  Somebody does care about us.  God cares.  He care enough to make a special trip just to see about us.  Even when we do not seem to care about each other God cares and it gives us hope to know that He does care.

The other thing that struck me about this passage were the words that are used to describe His coming.  They are words like, “Wonderful”, “Mighty”, “Eternal”, and “Peace”.  It is good to feel wonderful, strengthening to feel might, and it is even better to know that we have something that is eternal; i.e., something that will last.  Peace, my friends, speaks for itself.  There is one other essential for Christmas in this TfTD.

Goodwill towards all men

That includes people of other faiths.  The angels sang those words in a song in the New Testament.  They sang:

“Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace and goodwill towards all men.”

That includes muslims, hindus, sinners, saved, gays, straight, red, yellow, black, white; and ‘yes’ democracts and republicans.

In the movie, “The Exorcist” the priest sought to expel the demons from the little girl as he repeated over and over, “The power of Christ compels you.”   It can be difficult to rise above ourselves and demonstrate good will towards many, but the power of Christ compels us.  So I do wish everyone have a happy holiday.  I really do.  But I word it with “Merry Christmas” because of an effort that I recognized years ago.

God bless.