Date posted: 12-13-2024
Estimated Reading Time : 4 Minutes
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10–11
As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate the celebration of Christmas much more. In a culture that has become increasingly secular, where it is politically incorrect to even mention the name of the Lord lest we offend someone, I think it’s awesome that Christmas brings some of the greatest truths of the Gospel to light. And it showcases our roots as a Christian nation.
When else can you enter into stores and hear some of the greatest Christian songs ever written, like “Joy to the World”? That’s awesome! You will see displays of the Nativity in places where typically the only mention of the Lord would be to take His name in vain.
People talk about loving one another as God loved us by sending His Son to the earth. We are reminded of values that are practically forgotten at other times of the year. And for some families, Christmas is the only time they make an attempt to get along!
Some Christians may think it’s a shame that some people only go to church at Christmas, but praise God, at least they are going. And that’s an opportunity to share our faith! You see, people are probably more open to hearing the Gospel at Christmas than at any other time of the year.
Here at our Charis Bible College campus in Woodland Park, Colorado, we put on a live Nativity that features actors and animals. We also put up lights all around the campus. Thousands of people drive through every year. It’s awesome! But it’s not just here at Charis that people are publicly glorifying God.
You see, the legal restrictions that have been imposed on our freedom of religion in America are falling away. There have been a number of cases at the United States Supreme Court that have brought us closer to the Founding Fathers’ “original intent” regarding the First Amendment. One of those cases was Kennedy v. Bremerton School District.
Joe Kennedy, a committed Christian who was coaching football at Bremerton High School in Washington State, was led by the Lord to pray after every game at the fifty-yard line. He would kneel, silently thank God, and ask His blessings on the players. After a while, players started to join him.
Now, Coach Kennedy never told the players they had to pray with him. But the school district fired him anyway. Coach Kennedy took his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor. When they did, they overturned another bad ruling—Lemon v. Kurtzman.
Our friend Kelly Shackelford of First Liberty Institute, a frequent guest on our Truth & Liberty Show, represented Coach Kennedy in this case. He explained that the “Lemon Test” was the basis for 7,000 lower court cases since 1971 that restricted religious freedom in America. He said that this Supreme Court ruling has expanded religious freedom in America to a point we have not seen in decades!
That means that Nativity displays can be put up in public places. The Ten Commandments can be placed in schools, courthouses, and state legislatures. People can pray at public meetings. And baccalaureate services can be part of graduation ceremonies.
The Kennedy ruling, like the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, would never have happened if President Donald Trump hadn’t appointed three conservative justices—Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett—to the Supreme Court. Now that he’s been re-elected, we can expect more appointments throughout the court system that will protect our rights for years to come.
We don’t have to be afraid when it comes to sharing the nearly-too-good-to-be-true news of the Gospel. It’s time for Christians to be bold and take a stand for truth. And during Christmas, we have the opportunity to publicly display our faith and be bold about glorifying God.
Christmas is all about the Lord’s love and mercy, not His damnation. It’s spotlighting God’s unconditional love for us the way it should be done all year long. It’s focusing on the good news of Jesus Christ and not the bad news of our failures. That’s the Gospel of peace that the angels were singing about, and that should be our message too.
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