Taking Christ out of Christmas

At a recent Christmas program I attended, a local pastor found a need to warn several times, quite dramatically, that "they" are trying to steal Christ from Christmas, take Christ out of Christmas, or some variant of this theme. It seemed a bit over the top to me.

In light of that and the announcements of church closures, I found the President's recent address rather interesting. Apparently he hasn't received the memo that Christmas...er, uh, the Winter Holiday of Your Choice...is supposed to be all about family and sacred present unwrapping, rather than about Jesus Christ.

President Bush's 2005 Christmas message:

'Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel' which means, God with us. — Matthew 1:23

More than 2,000 years ago, a virgin gave birth to a Son, and the God of heaven came to Earth. Mankind had received its Savior, and to those who had dwelled in darkness, the light of hope had come. Each Christmas, we celebrate that first coming anew, and we rejoice in the knowledge that the God who came to Earth that night in Bethlehem is with us still and will remain with us forever.

Christmas is a season of hope and joy, a time to give thanks for the blessing of Christ's birth and for the blessings that surround us every day of the year. We have much to be thankful for in this country, and we have a responsibility to help those in need. Jesus calls us to help others, and acts of kindness toward the less fortunate fulfill the spirit of the Christmas season.

On Christmas, we pray for freedom, justice, and peace on Earth. We remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and for our freedom, and we ask for God's blessing on their loved ones. We ask God to watch over all of our men and women in uniform. Many are serving in distant lands, helping to advance the cause of freedom and peace. Our entire Nation is grateful to them and prays for their safe return.

Laura and I send our best wishes for a blessed and merry Christmas.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Think what you will about our President (this post is not some sort of political statement) but at least he gets what Christmas is really about.

[Thanks to Mateo at Calculated Ramblings for pointing me to this story.]