As bizarre as that may sound to many of us, this was apparently a serious consideration on the part of some members of the President’s Administration according to various news reports that filtered out in a article published by the New York Times on December 4th following a White House Luncheon. As was reported by persons present at the meeting, when the announcement was made that the traditional White House Nativity crèche would not be displayed an audible gasp from others present could be heard following the Social Secretary’s initial announcement.
Thankfully the tradition of including this beautiful handmade depiction of the Nativity in the east wing of the White House was upheld and is today on display as it’s been in years past. However, the very idea that removing Christ from the celebration of Christmas was ever announced in the first place ought to be unthinkable for every American who recognizes the historical Christian heritage of our nation. More than two centuries of American presidents, congresses and courts have both acknowledged and honored America’s Christian roots. The admission that Christmas is a distinctively Christian holiday isn’t a matter of personal intolerance but plain ole’ common sense backed up by the facts of history.
Still, what is more alarming is the titanic shift which has occurred in our culture regarding how this special season of the year is now viewed by so many of our fellow citizens who hold significant influence within the echelons of education, government and media. I can remember as a little boy walking with my Mom and little sister while Christmas shopping and seeing religious reminders of the birth of Christ in the windows of businesses, stores, churches and even public-government buildings and parks. Wishing someone a “Merry Christmas” was a common and cheerful expression of good will and a reminder of what makes the season so special in the first place.
Could it be that the ever rising tide of criticism and contempt for Christmas is because the baby whose birth we celebrate has truly lived up to His name… Emmanuel, God with Us! At Christmas we’re reminded that He is King of kings and Lord of lords, therefore we ought to practice “peace on earth, good will to men.” Christmas underscores the mystery of God’s love for us as revealed in the gift of His only begotten Son who for our sakes would lay down His life and shed His blood on the Cross so that God’s redemptive plan for mankind might be offered to everyone who would repent and believe.
Christmas reminds us that Christ is the only person worthy of dividing history and time with the designation of B.C. “before Christ” and A.D. “anno domini” – “in the year of our Lord.” His one solitary life has shaken and shaped the world as no one else either before or since. Is it not because of this one special life that Christmas means so very much after all? President Harry S. Truman in his Christmas Eve address of 1952 said, “Now, my fellow countrymen, I wish for all of you a Christmas filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and many years of future happiness with the peace of God reigning upon this earth.” As we celebrate Christmas this year may each of us do so in recognition, respect and reverence for the fact that Christmas is more than a religious holiday, it is the announcement of God’s unconditional love for us so personified in the virgin birth of His Son, whose name is Jesus and He was God with us then and He is still God with us today.
The poem “Christmas Bells” was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the American Civil War. His words are just as appropriate for our nation today as they were when he first wrote them while America was still months away from Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. The poem would later become a beloved Christmas Carol whose final lines read as follows:
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
Dr. Bryan Smith, is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Roanoke. Visit them on the Web at: www.firstroanoke.com
I have always enjoyed this story, because it’s one of redemption, and there is no better time than Christmas to tell it. It shows people being compassionate, even in the face of someone as seemingly heartless as Ebeneezer Scrooge. I was first exposed to this story as a little boy watching the animated version with Mr. Magoo that came out in 1962 and is shown every year on TV. There are many such movies that define the season and I truly expect this to be one of them, along with Christmas Story, Home Alone, Miracle on 34th Street, and It’s a Wonderful Life.