Believe

I have this ornament on my Christmas tree. It is simply the word "Believe" written in script and studded with rhinestones. At this time of year, we are exhorted to believe and we're bombarded with phrases like "Believe in the magic of Christmas" or "I believe in Santa Claus". I've even seen something like, "If you don't believe in Santa then you get underwear." Well, at least I still get underwear. 100% cotton, preferably, please.

However well-intentioned or humorous these phrases may be, I still think they're misguided. At best, they're a distraction from the true meaning of Christmas. At worst, they distort and deny the true meaning of Christmas. But what is the "true" meaning of Christmas? Quite simply, it is about the best gift ever given; the gift from God to us as so eloquently stated in the Gospel of John:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." ~John 3:16-17

Believe and you will be saved. Believe that God loved you enough to do this for you and that no way no how could you ever work for it and earn it. That's why it's called a gift.

MeRrY ChRiStMaS!!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” ~John 11:25-27