First, many are thinking about Jesus Christ more at this time. The Bible says nothing about the date of Christ’s birth, or about celebrating it. It was an important day (He could not have died if He had not been born), but we do not know when it was. I suppose the chances that Jesus was born on December 25th are about 1 in 365. The celebration of Christmas is man-made. However, I think we would be foolish to say people are not more aware of Christ during this time of the year. Many people determine to be more spiritual and Christ-like during the holidays. People who rarely attend religious services will attend around Christmas. While we would agree that everyone should have these attitudes throughout the year, perhaps we can use this time to convince them of this need. Anytime we can encourage people to think about Christ, it is a good thing.
Second, it is a time for families to be together. One part of the song has these lyrics: “It's the most wonderful time of the year. There'll be much mistltoeing, And hearts will be glowing, When love ones are near, It's the most wonderful time of the year.” Many families are like mine. They live great distances from each other and have little time to be together. Often, that time is during the holiday season. I can remember as a child being at my grandparents’ house with all of my aunts, uncles and cousins. Since I started preaching, we have lived away from family. My two older brothers and their families are in the same situation. For many years, Christmastime has been the time of the year that we have tried to be together.
While it is true that this is the most wonderful time of the year for many people, there are others who struggle through the holidays in loneliness and depression. This time of the year has one of the highest suicide rates. While we are celebrating and enjoying the holidays, let’s all be look for those who are not and reach out to them with loving arms.
--Lamar
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