Morning Thought: Christmas 2025
I am so glad that the celebration of the darkness is over. Last night, as we prayed through our town and the peripheral streets, it looked like the celebration was continuing, with houses draped in darkness, witches, death, and ghouls still on lighted display. This was sad.
This year, I decided to start my Christmas decorations on Halloween. I have never started this early before, but this year the darkness seemed especially heavy. It seemed like the decorations were more outlandish than I ever remembered before. So I decided to begin early to display decorations of thankfulness, joy, and light. Jesus is both our joy and our light and worthy to be celebrated. And as we also celebrate our time of Thanksgiving, we are so thankful for His many blessings to us
As we enter the Christmas season for 2025, there is much to be joyful for, but some get hung up on “religious details” that take away from their joy. First, we realize Jesus was probably not born on December 25th, but how often do we celebrate our friends and loved ones’ birthdays on dates other than their actual birth date? The point is that we celebrate and honor them.
Secondly, some oppose the commercialism at Christmas. That is a choice we each individually make and we can participate at any level we choose. Buying gifts for people often brings joy to many hearts and is certainly a recognition of the joy that comes from the greatest gift, Jesus! Impact will choose to participate in this Christmas by providing gifts for children in foster homes through our local DSS, showing the love of Christ for each one. Yet, we know some companies and organizations will capitalize on every season, but we each decide how and at what level we will participate.
Even the word Christmas conveys Christ, as its etymology leads us to its basic meaning: “Christ’s Mass.” Christ is indeed left out of many people’s Christmas, but that does not have to be the case with us. We each choose every day how much of Jesus we celebrate and honor. And Christmas is no different. Even St Nick was a real Christian bishop of Turkey who distributed gifts and joy to the needy. He never intended to replace Jesus, but his documented acts of generosity and love display the heart of Christ. And this is the actual fruit of a relationship with Christ.
So whether it is gifts or no gifts, decorations or no decorations, our hearts should be filled with love for Christ and also for each other. I believe Jesus loves the smiles on children’s faces and the joy in their hearts for the celebration of His birth and life!
Religion has made celebration extinct in many lives. That is what a spirit of religion does. It demands more than God demands and takes the joy of our wonderful salvation away, replacing that joy with an emotionless existence.
Choose joy this year! Celebrate our King by caring for those less fortunate and also the family you love the most.
Decorate! Sing! Love! Give! It becomes contagious!
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing”.
