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How Do You Say ‘Merry Christmas’ This Fine Wednesday Morning? OPINION BY POKORNY

How Do You Say 'Merry Christmas' This Fine Wednesday Morning? OPINION BY POKORNY

We’ve all heard it: Merry Christmas! How politically incorrect Fool! It is Happy Holidays.

The dividing lines are clearly drawn, it has taken decades, but it is so clear there are two near majority camps in the United States. Old fashioned Judea-Christians (“Merry Christmas”) and progressives (Democrats): “Happy Holidays”. No different here in the VI.

I’ll leave it to someone else to explain the thinking behind “Happy Holidays” (celebrate not working, perhaps?)

Put simply, the Christmas story goes something like this: The Creator (answers by name of God, Yahweh, Jah, Father, Allah) creates everything from nothing (including the human race). Man and woman quickly figure out how to seemingly outsmart the Creator by doing the one thing asked not to do (hint: eating the name of the world’s largest tech company – even has a bite taken out of the logo). This action leads to rebellion, sin and separation from the Creator. Creator seeks to restore relationship (Mosaic Law created) but we just can’t help ourselves and won’t give up our sinful nature. A sacrifice needs to occur, to resolve our sinful nature. Enter the Messiah, the Christ, foretold thousands of years before Jesus was born of a virgin. Really, you can’t make this stuff up – it is all in a book called the Bible – sort of the Owner’s Manual for mankind (as a side note, more people read their car manual then the Bible – yet are quick to pass judgement on it without reading it).

A few years later, on “Good Friday“, Jesus completed the sacrificial task – and took on the sins of the world, and on that “Easter” Sunday he defeated death. Shortly thereafter he returned to where he came from and left all of us with a directive, “Love one other as I have loved you”, forgive others AND tasked his followers with the Great Commission.

The Great Commission you ask? No this isn’t some profit on a sacrificial story, he wasn’t necessarily a capitalist, but he was God-Man and was without sin. No, as true believers, Christians transform their lives to move from selfish sin to serve others while spreading the good news of hope and salvation (the Christmas story/Jesus saves). Thus, I wish you a Merry Christmas. (I meant that rhetorically, I meant the phase; Wishing you a Merry Christmas was born, I didn’t mean that literally, please forgive me if I offended you).

So you see, I think there would be a lot more hope in the world if people turned to belief and stopped relying on government or money to get them through and if you don’t have money [or even for some who do have money] there is always drugs and alcohol or some other escape addiction).

On the other hand, a believer, I mean a truly mature believer, is content with whatever circumstance they are in/they have joy knowing they are part of a Godly plan and there is more than this earth instore for them. Whether they are poor, in poor health, persecuted for their beliefs, they are merry and joyous. And they wish others could experience these same feelings.

Finally, I just don’t believe you are going to read many headlines like this: “True Christian Believer steals Christmas tree from neighbor”; or “Follower of Christ sticks firearm in the face of clerk for $50 in fast food money”, or “Christian kicks down door and shoots everyone in the face”.

As for me – I’ll follow Christ and on this Christmas day celebrate with joy the wonderous gift God as given me, you and everyone. You just need to turn from sin and believe……

Wishing you a heartfelt Merry Christmas!

By GARY POKORNY

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