Dispel the Christmas Myths

“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 NIV

In a story titled "Santa joins 4,000 runners to celebrate the holiday season and ‘Run for a Claus’" published by Yahoo News Sunday, the writer said: The “Run for a Claus” in Orange County has become one of the region’s favorite holiday traditions, and the 12th edition took place on Saturday morning at a new venue. That venue was Great Park in Irvine – the run used to be held at UC Irvine.

Participants of the 5K/mile run enjoyed festive holiday experiences, including photos with Santa, and got a “running start” to the Christmas week.

“I’ve been here since the very first year, and it has just continued to get bigger [with] more community support,” Santa Claus himself told KTLA 5’s Erin Myers. “The crew is doing wonderful work and we would be lost without them.”

And, you know, when it comes to traditions, or as defined: inherited, established, or customary patterns of thought, action, or behaviors (such as a religious practice or a social custom), you and I would do well to remember that many of the world's “traditions” keep us away from celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

And the true meaning, of course, is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, God's Son, who came to Earth as our Savior to bring hope, love, and redemption from sin, fulfilling prophecy with his life, death, and resurrection, offering eternal life to believers. The true meaning of Christmas is love… “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.”

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

We celebrate Christmas because God loved His own (that’s us!) and provided a way—the only Way—for us to spend eternity with Him. He gave His only Son to take our punishment for our sins. He paid the price in full, and we are free from condemnation when we accept that free gift of love.

“And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” Revelation 12:9 BSB

And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with traditions such as Santa runs, photos with Saint Nick, Christmas parades, Elf on a Shelf, and things of that sort, we must be vigilant in keeping Jesus at the forefront.

You see, the enemy “called the devil and Satan” is called “the deceiver of the whole world” for a reason. Since the moment his pride caused him to hate God and all those who are made in His image, the ancient serpent has been doing all he can to persuade mankind into believing that there is no God and that, even if there was, we would not need Him. In fact, Satan wants the worship intended only for God.

You can be sure then that the devil hates Christmas! And will attempt to shift the world's focus from Jesus to materialism, busyness, stress, endless shopping, and disguising pagan myths as the true meaning of the season—thus making the season empty of the birth of Christ.

So, don’t be fooled by the enemy's deceptive practices my friend. Keep your eyes on Christ this Christmas season and work to share the true meaning of Christmas. Tell everyone you know that Jesus Christ is the One we celebrate this coming Christmas morning. He is the One who is the Light of the World that came so that we could have eternal life, and He is the only One deserving of our love, honor, worship, and praise. 

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we have a job to do this Christmas season and that job is to share Jesus Christ with the world. Lord, help us to use the customs and things of this world the enemy brought about that was intended to take our eyes off the Savior's birth to point the lost to Jesus and to open up conversations about the true meaning of Christmas. Help us to be bold in sharing the Message and inviting all we know to join us for a Christmas Eve service. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!