Since September Christmas has been showing up in stores and malls.  Santa even came way before Thanksgiving in many places.  We have come to expect it as the norm.  Nothing we can do about it, right?

For Christians Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. So we really have Christmas in our hearts year round.  I love Christmas and will put on a favorite Christmas carol to lift my spirits so to speak.  Sometimes you just need a little help with music.

Music.  Age old Christmas songs, caroling, hymns.  They mean so much to people from all generations.  Traditions are meant to be passed along.  Songs bring back wonderful memories during the holidays.  Our family started the holidays with Thanksgiving’s “Bless This House” and “We Gather Together”.  I am trying to recreate those traditions for my grandchildren.  Each year the commercialization is getting worse and making it more difficult.  But, at least we can always have them at churches, right?

I have friends all over the USA and this past week I have watched post after post pop up on social media regarding the churches they attend and their musical premieres for Christmas.  I see the pictures, I read the comments:

“Wow, you did a great job.”

“Love the scenery.”

“It was great seeing everyone!”

“Wasn’t the reception afterwards fun?”

“A good time was had by all.”

I kept seeing everything pointing to Christmas and noting pointing to CHRISTmas; Jesus, the reason for the season.  The message has been lost in productions, props and action.  The simple story of the Christ child born in the manger lost, or forgotten all together.  In some videos the traditional hymn or carol was so overproduced you could not even hear the words much less understand the message.

There is nothing wrong with plays and musical productions, I  have written several myself.  But, they need to include the simple message of a Savior born in Bethlehem. Wouldn’t it be better for people to come away saying, “wow, what a message”.  Or, “that really made me think about the real reason for CHRISTmas”?

As Christians this year it is important more than ever that we tell the simple story of a poor baby, born in a manger, and the message is not lost in the production of some ‘great show’.  There is a lot to be said of the simple traditions of children telling the story of Jesus’s birth.  Maybe we need to start over  there and see what we are missing.

Blog by – R. B. Green ©2018