O Come Let Us Adore Him

"Brad didn't put Christmas lights up this year?" my husband, John, asked with a tone of disbelief.

"I don't think he did." I continued stirring the saucy mixture in a potful of chicken asada. Snippy thoughts at the absurdity of Christmas relished one less house garnished with blinking, twinkling, electrified lights.

I don't like Christmas. And I don't partake in the hoopla of frenzied shopping, family quarrels, and excessive food consumption. What a Scrooge I am!

Actually, in 1645, when Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. [http://www.history.com/topics/christmas]

Don't hate me and I won't ever chastise anyone for the Christmas merrymaking. But consider what we are to adore most about the season.

Think of all the symbols associated with Christmas. One look at Santa and a universal recognition associates the logo with this holiday.

John 1:1 declares:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NIV1984) 

'Word' in the Greek represents Logos. It's similar to our word for logo. When you see the Pepsi Cola logo, you immediately envision not just soda, but the variety of Pepsi products along with processing centers all over the world and actually, your mind will recall every aspect of Pepsi--maybe even the fact Pepsi Cola originated in the small town of New Bern, North Carolina. You think of that logo as the totality of its corporation.

In the beginning was the totality of God ... and John 1 verses 4-5a says:

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness.

God is the totality of life and this life is the light for everyone.

You can step back, admire your lights, decorations, beautifully set dinner table, or delight in serving  holiday meals to the homeless, but in order to celebrate Christmas the right way, the light and life illuminating this holiday must reflect the totality of God.

After all, it's his birthday.


Visit me at http://www.cindyscinto.com