Minister’s Corner: And so this is Christmas

By: DR. BRIAN DORE’
Member of the Ville Platte Ministerial Alliance

“And So This is Christmas,” John Lennon made that sentence very popular as he and Yoko Ono wrote this song in 1971. But Christmas has changed in this nation quite a bit since then. It used to be that we were concerned about the commercialization of Christmas; now we are concerned that Christ is being taken out of Christmas all together. And as He has, have you noticed that the season isn’t quite so festive anymore.
In Luke’s gospel, we read in chapter two that the shepherds were watching over the sheep at night when the greatest of announcements this world has ever heard was proclaimed by the angel of the Lord. We read in Luke 2:10-12 KJV, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
The world has never been the same since that night. Yet, there is an increasingly strong move to eliminate anything associated with that heavenly birth. We, as Christians, must rehearse that event in the ears of our children and those who will hear.
This Christmas, why not start a family tradition. Why not have someone in the family, preferably the head of the household, read the real Christmas story found in Luke chapter two to the family on Christmas Eve? Without Christ in Christmas, it becomes just another excuse to support retailers.
Yes, and so it is Christmas, and we will not forget the reason we celebrate this event!