Imagine
I wrote a little blog about putting the "Christ" back in Christmas for today, but I took it down because I wanted to do a bit more research on the origins of the holiday. I was in a bit of a hurry and I'd heard something on the radio yesterday that kind of countered a point I'd made about the history of the Christmas tree.
I had some errands to run today. Last minute grocery shopping etc... As I came home, I thought about my little blog post while listening to the news about an increase in holiday spending and holiday travel. I thought about the impact Christmas makes on our society and wondered this:
What would the world be like if we didn't have Christmas?
First off, there would be no "Santa Claus", because St. Nicholas would not have led the life he did because there would be no Christianity. There would be no "Good News" to share. How different would the Bible be because there would be no prophesy of the Savior's coming? Vatican City would not exist. Think about how much art and sculpture would not exist, because the Catholic Church would not have commissioned the artisans to create the works they did. How would our music be different? Think about the architectural landscape. There would be no "leaning tower of Pisa", no St. Peter's basilica, or closer to home, no Salt Lake Temple, no Cathedral of the Madeline.
Our culture wouldn't exist as it does. Think about that. The pilgrims that came to this country in 1620 fled England to pursue their religious beliefs. They were Christians. If Christ hadn't come, there would be no "America" because the people that came here wouldn't have because there would have been no Church of England. Our churches would not exist. The charity work, the good deeds, the lifesaving message Christianity provides would simply not exist.
You know what else would not exist? 2010 AD. BC would be a pointless term.
Those are just a few of the tangible things I could come up with right off the top of my head. The list of what-ifs goes on and on.
Here are the most important ones: What message of hope, love, forgiveness and Salvation would we have if Christ had not come down to earth, to die for our sins on the cross? Who would have healed the sick, made the lame whole, and restored sight to the blind?
This goes out to my non-believer friends: What do you think the world would look like if there truly were no God? What would your life be like today if Christ had not been born?
If you want to have your question answered, there are places even on Earth you can visit where December 25 is just another day. You can visit a Muslim country, as a multitude of our service members are this year. Even muslims acknowledge Christ was born, but they don't believe he was Savior. The don't celebrate Christmas. I spent Christmas of 1990 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We had to be very low-key with our Christmas because Jeddah is very close to Mecca. There were no lights, no Christmas trees. There was a "holiday" meal. There was no Christmas cheer, save a case of non-alcoholic beer and a bag of tortilla chips a guy I met liberated form a group of Arizona Guardsmen. This guy from Bangor, Maine (what is it with me and that place?) and I spent the evening talking and drinking non-alcoholic beer outside and wishing we were anywhere else on the planet but where we were.
My original intent of the blog I took down was to talk about putting Christ back in Christmas. As I think about how the world would be if there were no Christmas, I came to the conclusion that my other blog is kind of pointless. Christ IS Christmas, and a whole lot more. As you ponder what the world would be like today had He not come, I hope it causes anyone who doesn't believe to take a step back and reconsider what you do believe. For those that believe, I hope this little message will cause you to draw near to Christ this Christmas.
God bless y'all,
Coop
I had some errands to run today. Last minute grocery shopping etc... As I came home, I thought about my little blog post while listening to the news about an increase in holiday spending and holiday travel. I thought about the impact Christmas makes on our society and wondered this:
What would the world be like if we didn't have Christmas?
First off, there would be no "Santa Claus", because St. Nicholas would not have led the life he did because there would be no Christianity. There would be no "Good News" to share. How different would the Bible be because there would be no prophesy of the Savior's coming? Vatican City would not exist. Think about how much art and sculpture would not exist, because the Catholic Church would not have commissioned the artisans to create the works they did. How would our music be different? Think about the architectural landscape. There would be no "leaning tower of Pisa", no St. Peter's basilica, or closer to home, no Salt Lake Temple, no Cathedral of the Madeline.
Our culture wouldn't exist as it does. Think about that. The pilgrims that came to this country in 1620 fled England to pursue their religious beliefs. They were Christians. If Christ hadn't come, there would be no "America" because the people that came here wouldn't have because there would have been no Church of England. Our churches would not exist. The charity work, the good deeds, the lifesaving message Christianity provides would simply not exist.
You know what else would not exist? 2010 AD. BC would be a pointless term.
Those are just a few of the tangible things I could come up with right off the top of my head. The list of what-ifs goes on and on.
Here are the most important ones: What message of hope, love, forgiveness and Salvation would we have if Christ had not come down to earth, to die for our sins on the cross? Who would have healed the sick, made the lame whole, and restored sight to the blind?
This goes out to my non-believer friends: What do you think the world would look like if there truly were no God? What would your life be like today if Christ had not been born?
If you want to have your question answered, there are places even on Earth you can visit where December 25 is just another day. You can visit a Muslim country, as a multitude of our service members are this year. Even muslims acknowledge Christ was born, but they don't believe he was Savior. The don't celebrate Christmas. I spent Christmas of 1990 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We had to be very low-key with our Christmas because Jeddah is very close to Mecca. There were no lights, no Christmas trees. There was a "holiday" meal. There was no Christmas cheer, save a case of non-alcoholic beer and a bag of tortilla chips a guy I met liberated form a group of Arizona Guardsmen. This guy from Bangor, Maine (what is it with me and that place?) and I spent the evening talking and drinking non-alcoholic beer outside and wishing we were anywhere else on the planet but where we were.
My original intent of the blog I took down was to talk about putting Christ back in Christmas. As I think about how the world would be if there were no Christmas, I came to the conclusion that my other blog is kind of pointless. Christ IS Christmas, and a whole lot more. As you ponder what the world would be like today had He not come, I hope it causes anyone who doesn't believe to take a step back and reconsider what you do believe. For those that believe, I hope this little message will cause you to draw near to Christ this Christmas.
God bless y'all,
Coop
http://www.herealittletherealittle.net/index.cfm?page_name=Jesus-Birthday
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