Consider the atheist on this day, one of the greatest
Holy-Days of the year. Whether atheist by design, or atheist by default,
Christmas, at best, can only be the happy trappings. Not Christmas in the
heart.
No manger. No miracles. No angels. No Jesus. No hope. No
joy. No wonder. No love... God's love. No peace. No spiritual awakening. No
God... imagine that. No glory. No destiny. No Bethlehem. No magi. No
star. No gifts. No worship. No prophetic fulfillment. No Holy Spirit guidance.
No Mary or Joseph. No swaddling clothes. No humble birth. No Emmanuel. No
cross. No resurrection. No heaven.
So, what's left? Not much. Nothing of eternal,
spiritual significance.
Jingle bells. Black Friday. Chestnuts roasting on an open
fire. Deck the halls. Rudolf. Wishing for a white Christmas. Santa
and NORAD. Oh yes, and Tannenbaum. (a nice, beautiful Noble or Nordmann fir
from Tracy Tree Farm). And “Happy Holidays”.
What else? Me, myself, and I. A few short years here on
Earth. Maybe some friends, family, and possessions to enjoy. Fun and games,
hardships and turmoil. Maybe yoga. Maybe sports. Maybe 15 minutes of fame.
Maybe even a commendable selfless urge to serve others. But then what?
Light is one of the grand themes of Christmas. The star, the
angels, the glory that shone round about. But far and away the greatest light
is Jesus himself. The light of the world. His life is light and his light is
life. But people don't understand the light, and choose to remain in darkness.
And they may not even know it.
Light is life. And darkness is death. Merry Christmas… or Christmas Never?
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great
light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned." (Isaiah 9:2)
