A very Merry Christmas to you!
(A beautiful art print by Fellowship For the Performing Arts )
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born
to you; He is the Messiah,
the Lord.
Luke 2:11
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: fear not,
O Zion, be not discouraged! The Lord, your God,
is in your midst.
Zephaniah 3:16-17a And though you won't be gearing up for Christmas after today, I wanted to leave you a thought to ponder even as we head toward a new year, and more Christmases to come.
Beware of playing into cynicism during Christmas. 
It’s far too easy to get disgusted with and brush off traditions, and carols especially, in the name of their being “unrealistic” or “incorrect”. And something in many of them may be. But please have the grace to remember 3 important things;
First — Most of us (even if a few might dabble in it) are /not/ songwriters. Rhythm, sound, etc. come into consideration as well as meaning; no, not an excuse for mistaken theology, but just remember that we don’t really know all that goes into it.
Second — Remember that most transcendent carols were written in long-past centuries. Yes, they may have gotten some things wrong, but take note of, and learn from, their reverence, wisdom and insight - they had a great deal of it.
Lastly — Don’t treat these songs as if they were written to make money or mislead people. Remember, these writers were trying to express an aspect of the wonder of what God has done that had captured their hearts, something that stirred them to praise and awe.
Second — Remember that most transcendent carols were written in long-past centuries. Yes, they may have gotten some things wrong, but take note of, and learn from, their reverence, wisdom and insight - they had a great deal of it.
Lastly — Don’t treat these songs as if they were written to make money or mislead people. Remember, these writers were trying to express an aspect of the wonder of what God has done that had captured their hearts, something that stirred them to praise and awe.
Just take the same amount of time this Christmas that you catch yourself noticing flaws in traditional carols, and appreciate and be awed by the heart of what the writer was trying to express.
Only God is flawless. And the Lord has truly done great things for us!
'If Christmas Never Came' —David Phelps
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