It appears an old friend from grade school who II friended on Facebook has turned out to be a serious religious person. This was his latest post
Posted by
CQ (aka CQ)
Dec 22 '09, 11:58
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There has been a movement the last 10 years or so to put Christ back into Christmas. It�s been a genuine attempt to celebrate the right Christmas as opposed to the commercialized secular version. Of course this is a noble cause and should be supported by all that call upon the name of the Lord. But, I�m afraid that this movement is lacking the depth needed to be redemptive and is perhaps giving us believers a false sense of accomplishment. We have been rightly fighting for accurate depictions and public expressions of Christmas but, in many cases, have stopped short of the less socially acceptable task of proclaiming its true purpose. The angel Gabriel gives us the unchanging purpose for Christmas in the following verse:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Mathew 1:21)
No effort to redeem Christmas can be complete with out focusing on man�s sin and our desperate need for a savior. If we become satisfied with replacing �X-mas� with �Christmas� and replacing reindeer with Nativity scenes, we have missed the point. This movement will have been in vain if it doesn�t do more than detest the commercialization of Christmas and maintain freedom of religious expression. Not only must we put �Christ� back into Christmas but we also must put Christmas back into the Gospel. This means we must tell the world that Christmas is about God sending His son into the world to save us from our sins, and consequently His wrath and judgment. How can people truly celebrate the birth of the Savior if they haven�t accepted His offer of salvation? What good is an accurate Christmas celebration if it is not genuine? So this Christmas let�s make an opportunity to share the Gospel with our friends and loved ones. Let�s give thanks this Christmas and celebrate the full meaning and implications of Jesus� birth. He is our peace. Because of Him we are saved from the flames, and need to be concerned only about �Chestnuts roasting on an open fire�!...
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