DECEMBER 2007
Dear Mt. Olive Friends and Family,
As I listen to Christmas music on the
radio, “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” seems always to be a favorite. But only the original Crosby version will
do. It’s been bringing back nostalgic
memories of Christmases past for 53 years, and is still going strong. Others may try to make their own recording
of it, but the clear, mellow voice of Bing Crosby will always win, hands down!
Music has changed a
lot since 1954. So has the way
Americans celebrate Christmas. You’ll
notice that most “holiday” gift catalogs or circulars today do not contain the
word Christmas. That’s by deliberate
design. Don’t want to offend anyone,
you know!
There’s no question
that our society has changed as demonstrated by a newspaper article that I read
recently. The Los Angeles Times’ story told of what happened at the end of
last year’s school year at a liberal arts college in Claremont,
California. When the cleaning crews
moved in after the students had moved out, they found the hallways and lounges
overflowing with something like “50 unwanted mini-refrigerators, 40 computer
printers, scores of microwave ovens and window fans, mounds of mattresses and
couches, piles of pillows and clothes, a store’s worth of detergent, shampoo,
books and ramen noodles, not to mention bicycles, stuffed animals, crutches and
exotic underwear.”
The author of the article suggested that some students
seem “simply spoiled,” citing a freshman from Maryland who left an entire
closetful of clothes and shoes, but whose mother, when contacted, was not the
least bit concerned.
Last year, Penn State students left behind 66 tons of
cast-offs including 33 televisions, 166 window fans, and 270 pairs of ski
boots.
One wonders how many of these same students vociferously
protest waste and overstuffed landfills!
Some call this a snapshot of a generation of students
raised in a throwaway culture. Call it
what you like, it surely is poles apart from the way my parents raised me. I remember my mom’s shopping lists. They were always written on the backside of
already-used (but only on one side!) sheets of paper. My dad’s shoes and overhauls were often mended so many times that
it seemed there were more patches than original material. It’s not that they couldn’t afford to buy
new; it’s just that their generation recycled long before recycling was in
vogue! I grew up believing that it
wasn’t necessary to buy a new one if you could fix the old one.
It seems, too, that there is now a new, overt boldness and
aggressiveness on the part of atheists who do not believe in the existence of
God (and therefore do not believe in the things of God). No longer content with simply co-existing
with Christianity, they have now set their sights on destroying it. Did you know that atheist Sunday schools are
now popping up, designed to teach children how to deal with fellow students who
are Christian? And as I’m sure you are
aware, this month’s film debut of “The Golden Compass” is but another example
of the current trend to take on God. No
wonder, then, that “Merry Christmas” is quickly being replaced with
“Happy Holidays.”
Even though we see all
kinds of signs pointing to an ever-changing society, people are still the same
old sinners in desperate need of the same gracious Savior. People still need to be taken to Bethlehem’s manger, to Calvary’s cross, and to
the empty tomb in Joseph’s garden.
Neither an ever-changing society nor an
ever-more-emboldened breed of atheism can rob us of the real message and joy of
the Real Christmas. God’s holy Son came
not only for us but for all.
He came because “God so loved the world…” He came not only to free us from the
curse of sin, but to set the whole world free of Satan’s dominion. Not all know this – which is precisely why
we must continue to be bright, shining lights in this world so helplessly lost
in gross darkness.
My mother would tell of the time when, as a child, her only
Christmas present was one book. And,
oh, how she treasured that one small gift!
In today’s society, most children receive enough gifts to fill half a
living room, and within a few months (or weeks) those same gifts have joined
all those computer printers and window fans in the local landfill. I doubt if any of those loads of presents
will be cherished as much as my mom cherished her one little book!
Yet the one Present we all so desperately need remains the
same, year after year. Whether young or
old, rich or not-so-rich, famous or known only to family and friends, this one
Gift is far above all gifts. It is the
Gift that our heavenly Father sent to earth to be our one and only Savior. Jesus is the only Gift we need! Please don’t forget that He is still “the
reason for the season”!
A newer rendition of
“White Christmas” will never adequately replace Bing Crosby’s original. A whole houseful of gifts cannot even begin
to replace the original Gift sent from heaven.
The way we celebrate
Christmas may have changed over the years, but the Reason dare not change. The only real Source of the peace, joy,
hope, and love that people associate with Christmas comes from Jesus
Christ. We who believe in Jesus will
continue to hold up Jesus as the Gift we treasure most, even if some around us
do not.
So, Bing, continue to
sing!
And to you, dear
people, may all your Christmases be bright!
Pastor Carl Henkel
Sunday, December 23rd,
9:00am
(with Holy Communion)
Christmas Eve,
Monday, Dec. 24th, 7:00pm Candlelight Service
Christmas Day,
Tuesday, Dec. 25th, 9:00am Festival of Christmas Worship