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Christmas And
Religion
Religious Ritual
Luke 2
indicates another group of people who missed Christmas: "in the same region there
were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their
flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them"
(verses 8-9).
The angel proclaimed the birth of Christ, and
the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see Him.
Verse 20
says, "The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that
they had heard and seen, just as had been told them."
Out of all the people in Jerusalem, God singled
out shepherds to receive the great news about the birth of Christ.
Shepherds were a despised group of people. They
couldn't maintain all the ceremonial washings and activities because they were
busy tending to the sheep.
Yet no on else from the city came to see the
Christ child except these "unclean"
shepherds.
However, two special people did take note of Him
when He was brought into the city.
Luke 2:25-26 mentions
Simeon - a man who "was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel ;
and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy
Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ."
Luke 2:36-38 tells
us about Anna, a widow who saw the Messiah in the Temple , and who "continued
to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem
" (verse 28).
However, the mass of people in Jerusalem missed
Christmas.
The birth of Christ took place only a few miles
away. It was the fulfillment of all their dreams and hopes - the event that
would change the destiny of the world - but they missed it.
Why did they miss it? Religion.
They were so busy with the rituals of their
religion that they missed the reality of His birth.
Jesus asked
His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" (Matthew 16:13).
Their answer
was: "Some
say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of
the prophets" (verse 14).
All the speculations were wrong.
Jesus didn't fit into the religious system of
His day. And the people knew He didn't after He gave the Sermon on the Mount.
Religion will damn a soul faster than anything
if it is anything less than true worship of the true God.
A false religious system gives a person a place
to hide - a place where he can mask his spirituality.
People steeped in various cults talk about God,
Christ, and Scripture, but they don't know Christ.
They are lost in the midst of religion. So the
people of Jerusalem missed Christmas while they were being religious.
Excert
from “6 Ways Satan Is Stealing Christmas.”
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