nativity and cross...

nativity and cross

If you are a Christian,
the Nativity is a feel good scene.

Even though conditions were not so nice
we still love to display the birth of Christ
in the manger, with all the animals,
the shepherds, and the star.
In many nativities even the
wise men are included.

But the birth of Christ has no real meaning
if we do not include the cross.

"We romanticize the story of Mary and Joseph
rather than deal with the painful dilemma
they faced when the Lord chose Mary
to be the virgin who would
conceive her child by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We beautify the birth scene,
not coming to terms with the stench of the stable,
the poverty of the parents,
the hostility of Herod.
Don't miss my point.
There is something truly comforting
and warming about the Christmas story,
but it comes from understanding the reality,
not from denying it.

That's the message of Christmas:
God reconciled the world to himself through Christ,
man's sin has alienated him from God,
and man's reconciliation with God
is possible only through faith in Christ…
Christmas is disturbing.

Only those who have been profoundly disturbed
to the point of deep repentance
are able to receive the tidings
of comfort, peace, and joy
that Christmas proclaims."
- William H. Smith