The message of Christmas IS the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Without the Gospel, Christmas is, as most people celebrate it, just another holiday that comes and goes. The debate over whether to say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” is irrelevant unless those who insist on saying “Merry Christmas” understand what happened on that night when Jesus was born, and what it means for those who believe that He is the promised Messiah, God’s Anointed King, the Christ, our Savior!! While we focus on the events surrounding the birth of Jesus during this time of the year, it is easy to forget that God had been pointing to His coming since the Garden of Eden! When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, their spirits died, and they passed on physical and spiritual death to all who would come after them. God revealed His judgment against sin in the flood, destroying mankind from the face of the earth, yet at the same time revealing His grace through saving Noah and his family. As mankind spread over the earth, the results of sin and spiritual death multiplied. All the religions of the world are evidence of man’s vain attempts to produce a righteousness that will stand before a “God” they do not know. But God revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and through them and their descendants pointed to the coming of the Savior who would bear God’s wrath against sin and offer righteousness by faith to those who believed in Him. Christ’s birth is all about how you, a sinner, can know that your sins are forgiven and you have been declared righteous in God’s sight through faith in Jesus Christ! Only when you understand and receive the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can you truly celebrate His birth with hope, peace and joy, knowing His love for you is eternal, and nothing can separate you from God’s love in Christ. May you hear this message as we head into the new year, and may the Lord use YOU to pass it on!!