Grand Prelate's Christmas Message for 2005
Is Christmas PassĂŠ? by Reverend and Grand Prelate Thomas G. Keithly
When I was studying in England, back in the early fifties, I found that the United States is not the only country where some people lament the secularization and over commercialization of Christmas. After some public comment pleading to put Christ back into Christmas, one of the major British newspapers published a letter to the editor, in which a lady said that the Church had already appropriated their Easter holidays and now they were trying to take away their Christmas holidays! With characteristic droll British humor, the paper printed the letter without comment, letting the ironic humor speak for itself. I for one love the excitement and the bustle, the sparkling lights and tinsel, the songs in the air, and visions of sugarplums, but as Christians, we also need to reflect on the meaning of the coming of the Lord. Jesus himself describes the day when God will manifest Himself: "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21: 25-28 NIV) This doesn't bring to mind Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, does it? And yet, Let's be clear. Christmas is the Holy Day celebrating the Incarnation of God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Saint Paul in his "Letter to the Philippians" wrote of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.'(Philippians 2: 6-7) To put it simply, God the Son came "in the flesh" ("Incarnate" comes from the Latin "in" plus "carne" - flesh), to save us. The "Letter to the Hebrews" speaks of this Jesus, who for our sakes "endured the cross, making light of its disgrace, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12: 2)
December 2005
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