It's Christmas Time

      It’s Christmas time. That means visiting family, spending money, giving gifts, eating candy and generally having a good time. Oh yeah, it also means hearing mangled versions of Jesus’ birth.

      We know enough Bible to catch the mistakes. We know angels did not appear at the manger. We know wise men did not meet Jesus until He was a toddler. We know there is no knowing how many wise men were there. We know there is absolutely no proof Jesus was born on December 25. We know we have no idea when Jesus was born. We know God never asks us to celebrate Jesus’ birth by establishing a holiday, decorating a tree, putting up lights and passing out gifts.

      We know all of this. Therefore, we do not need another article right now about the origins of Christmas or the fact Jesus is not the reason for the Christmas season. (Maybe someday, but not now.)

      I would like us to approach this Christmas time from a different angle. Though their understanding is flawed, more people are willing to think about Jesus now than any other time. Doesn’t it stand to reason that we have more opportunity to talk about Jesus now? Instead of ridiculing people who are only interested in religion on major holidays, let’s see how many people we can talk to about Jesus.

      One way is to try to talk to people about the real story of Jesus’ birth. Don’t do it with an I’m-going-to-put-you-in-your-place attitude. Instead, when the topic comes up, simply say, “I have heard the Christmas story for years. However, I was reading my Bible and found out the modern retelling is mistaken. Would you be interested in sitting down with me and reading the Bible to find out what really happened?” They may not want to, but at least you successfully planted a seed. You did your job.

      Another way is to simply invite people to read the Bible with you. “There is a lot of interest in Jesus this time of year. You know the Bible tells us all kinds of things about Jesus. If you want to learn more, maybe we can get together and just read the Bible together. We could begin with a short gospel like Mark, which tells about Jesus’ ministry on earth. Would you be interested in that?”

      You could invite folks to our assemblies and classes. “We have heard a lot about Jesus this month. Our congregation strives to be Jesus centered, just following Him and His word. You ought to come check us out this Sunday.”

      Or come up with your own way to broach the subject of Jesus. The point is we should not let this golden month pass us by looking down on those who only seem to be interested in Jesus in December. Instead, let’s help people where they are. If they are interested in Jesus now, capitalize on it and help increase their interest for all year round. Who can you talk to this week?

Edwin L. Crozier