Pastor's Note
FACEBOOK CHRISTMAS 2020
PermalinkThis year, Facebook chose to go fully literal on the opening two words of the carol Silent Night. There was nothing of the worldwide celebration worthy of mention. Hannukah got a half dozen backgrounds for posts featuring dreidels or menorahs, but nothing of Immanuel’s birth popped up behind the rainbow box that had, I assume, nothing to do with Noah and the flood. Oh, if you dug deep you could find some banners and such of generic quality. Like so many businesses today, the glory of this annual celebration has been just…absent.
And that is as it should be. It is not Mr. Zuckerberg’s job to tell the story. Perhaps we should be glad that the hypocrisy of clueless merchants pretending to participate in such a day with hopes of cashing in on it has pretty much ceased. December landscapes that were once awash with bright colors and words proclaiming hope, peace, and goodwill toward men are now painted over with Soviet gray nothingness. And it is left for us real believers to proclaim the message. My 12 Quotes of Christmas was an attempt to splash the good news of the incarnation across your Facebook pages. Hope it got you thinking about the Savior of the world’s first visit as the God-Man. Under the brilliant light of the star and amidst the shouts of angels, that Christ of Christmas was mistaken for just another Jewish infant. Three decades later, He would be mistaken for a troublemaker finally dispatched by a fittingly cruel death on a cross. And three days after that, the resurrected Jesus would be momentarily mistaken as a cemetery groundskeeper. The next time He comes, mark it well, there will be no mistaking who He is.