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2003 Soap Box Archives What Christmas Means To Me 12/19/03 Now I’m just as caught in the trappings of Christmas as the next person. I love brightly colored Christmas trees, the smell of turkey roasting and the smiling faces of the little ones. I love the downtown decorations and the Christmas parades, Santa Claus and all the rest. But
when you stop and consider the reason we’re celebrating We all know the story about the Christ Child born among the livestock in a stable in Bethlehem all those years ago. We know that He was born of a Virgin into the humble family of a carpenter named Joseph. But when you consider what really happened that first Christmas night on the plains of Israel it is almost beyond human understanding. Why would the Son of the most high God agree to leave the unimaginable rapture of Heaven and come to earth to live the life of an ordinary human being? To be born, to labor, to experience grief and loss and finally to die the most painful death anyone has ever suffered at the hands of the very people He came to earth to save. Why would Almighty God subject his beloved Son to such horrors? As He looked down on a world which was lost and dying, where even the religious leaders of the day were insincere and corrupt. After all, he is Almighty God, Creator of the Universe and everything in it. He could have simply snapped his fingers and consigned the whole planet and everybody on it to oblivion. But God had made a covenant with Abraham that his seed would inhabit Israel forever and God always keeps His word. The reason is simple and can be found in the most well known of Bible verses, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on would not perish but have everlasting life.” It was love that brought Jesus to earth, that He suffered the cross for, that caused the Master of everything that exists to allow His only Son to be cruelly executed so that this wicked world would have a chance to be saved. Christmas is all about love. The Bible tells us to love one another, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry. We should be aware of the needy, not only at Christmas time but all through the year. Will you join me this Christmas in trying to help someone who needs help? It doesn’t have to be an elaborate amount, just what you can afford. Just stop and think about it. There’s bound to be a child in your neighborhood that a small gift would mean the world to. Or an old person who needs food or fuel. Or a single parent who has more children than they can provide for. Christmas is about the gift of love and love is the greatest gift we can give anybody. May you and yours be surrounded with it as we approach this joyous season. Pray for our troops. What do you think? God Bless America Charlie Daniels
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