Don't Miss Christmas

With all of the effort to be politically correct and non-offensive in the day we're living in, let me take a shot at being just the opposite. I've had my fill of this idea that the term "Christmas" may be offensive to some within our society. I realize, that for the greatest part, with the readers of this blog, there is a slim chance that the "offended" may show up here. But maybe this will give you a little room for mercy if you run into some of the crowd that scowls at the greeting, "Merry Christmas!"
There are plenty of people that miss the reason for the "holiday" season. They never stop to recognize the Christ of the Christmas celebration. But, if you read the story of the first Christmas, you will see there were many people who missed the first one! The reasons that they missed that first Christmas, are the same reasons people miss the celebration of Christmas today. Consider these:
1)Herod: He was too busy building his own kingdom to recognize another. How often do we focus on building our own empires instead of building up the Kingdom of God? How often do we do that even in the 'church world' today?
2)The Innkeeper: Business must have been booming during the time of the census. The innkeeper was so busy building his own riches that he failed to even recognize the riches that another had to offer. Who had time for a baby? How often do we fail to recognize the gift of the Christ child in the midst of all the 'booming business' that comes along with the Christmas season?
3)The Chief Priest and the Teachers: They were too busy perfecting their religion to discern the invitation to relationship. The Magi(Wise Men) even inquired of them as to the place that the messiah was to be born, yet there is no evidence the religious crowd set out to search with them. God sent his son to a manger so that we might have relationship with him. How often do we look AT the baby in the manger but look OVER the relationship that he longs to have with us?

You see how easy it can be to walk right past the manger, and never recognize the extraordinary event that is taking place. We do the same thing when we're caught up - too busy to disconnect with the rat race that we are in - to stop at the manger and worship the King. Jesus is there waiting for your full attention. Don't Miss Christmas!