"Merry Christmas" vs "Happy Holidays"

Merry Christmas!

Yes, I realize that we are still several days away from Christmas. However, I wanted to be sure that someone said "Merry Christmas" to you today.

You see, in our politically correct society it is more likely that you will hear "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" while out and about finishing up that last minute shopping. I mean we certainly don't want to offend anyone by suggesting that December 25th is actually a day commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, right?

No, it's not right. Just as Easter is a day set aside to celebrate the resurrection of Christ from the grave, Christmas is a day set aside to celebrate the coming of the promised Messiah. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords has come, and He brings salvation to all who will believe.
Christmas is not about us, it's about Jesus. And as Christians we have a responsibility to lift up the name of Jesus in a season that seems to be more about us rather than Him.
The prophet Isaiah foretold of the birth of Christ some 740 years before Jesus' birth. And in His words below we see that God had a plan. A plan to redeem His people by sending His one and only Son into this world so that He might one day pay the penalty for our sin. Christmas is far more than the celebration of the birth of a child; it is a celebration of our redemption, and the Hope that still today offers salvation to all who will believe!

Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Praise be to God, Messiah has come!

And again, Merry Christmas!

PCW

How Great is Our God - Christmas verse

As I was brainstorming over potential Christmas music the other day I couldn't help but to think about how "How Great is Our God" would fit nicely into a Christmas service.  My brainstorming only led to more brainstorming which led me to begin writing a Christmas verse to this great song written by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, and Jesse Reeves.

Now, I'm not the first guy to attempt to write a Christmas verse for this song.  However, different from some others I have seen, my goal was to write just one verse that would capture the entire birth narrative. 

Back a few years ago a Christmas verse was added to Paul Baloche's "Offering" and it ended up being a big hit.  Anyway, my purpose in doing this is not to have a "big hit" but rather to complement one of the greatest worship songs of all time with a verse made just for Christmas.

Feel free to check it out and LMK what you think at http://tiny.cc/hgChristmas

Have a blessed Christmas!

Christian Watts