Richard Roberts
I once heard a story of a woman who went Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and hearing both of her children asking for everything they saw on the shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids in tow.
She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of year: the overwhelming pressure to go to every party and housewarming, watch our waistlines as we taste all the holiday food and treats, get that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, and make sure we don’t forget anyone on our card list.
When the elevator doors opened, there was already a crowd inside. The woman pushed her way into the car, dragging her two kids and all the bags of stuff with her. When the doors closed, she couldn’t take it anymore and blurted out, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be strung up and shot!”
From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet, calm voice respond: “Don’t worry…we already crucified Him.” For the rest of the trip down in the elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.
John 3:16 says, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. During this holiday season, let us not forget to keep the One who started “this whole Christmas thing” in our every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we all did that, just think how different our celebration of Christmas would be!