And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will be for all the people." Luke 2:10
Christmas is over and atheists can breathe a sigh of relief.
According to an article carried by the Associated Press, during the days after Christmas atheists give out a communal sigh of satisfaction.
Once again they have managed to survive the Savior's birth.
· No longer do they feel the Christian world is out to get them.
· No longer do they stuff cotton in their ears to deaden the endless carols being played over the department store public address systems.
· No longer do they have to explain why they celebrate heathen customs like the
winter solstice rather than the Savior's birth.
· No longer do they have to boycott stores that encourage sales personnel to say,
"Merry Christmas!"
· No longer do they have to look for Christmas cards with no reference to Christ.
Now, please understand it's not that the atheists in the AP story are completely against Christmas. They're not. As one of them said, "Food, we like. Presents, we like. Seeing family, we like." Another said, "People (atheists) shouldn't cave in to the notion Christmas belongs to Christians. Baby Jesus is just an excuse for a lot of people to party, anyway."
Now this devotion is not going to try and explain that if a person celebrates heathen customs, he's not an atheist but that he's just being anti-Christian and is against established mainstream religion. On the other hand, I would like to point out that enjoying food, presents, and family without knowing the Savior is not just throwing the baby out with the bathwater, it's throwing the baby out and keeping the bathwater.
Even more, I'd like to say throwing out this baby is a dangerous thing. Oh, yes, Jesus, the babe of Bethlehem, is cute and cuddly. But Jesus is also the Christ of the cross and the Savior of the empty tomb. Jesus' story of salvation -- His life, His death, His resurrection, are all cut from the same cloth.
As is the fact that this child in the manger will someday return to be our judge.
So, for those atheists who are feeling more relaxed, I'd like to say, please, use these days to relax, but also use them to take a serious look at the Savior who gave His life for your salvation.
Put aside your tinsel and glitter; put aside your prejudice and take a look. Ask some questions; find out that God is answering. You won't regret it.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks the Savior is my reality and my Redeemer. Now I pray for those who have rejected Him. While there is still time may they be turned from self-satisfaction and intellectual unbelief and be brought to see the Savior. This I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." . . . John 20:15-16a
It was the kind of story that didn't seem appropriate to use during Advent. It was also the kind of story that couldn't be ignored.
The headline read, "Ex-Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos' body has been stolen from its grave."
Mr. Papadopoulos had been dead less than a year when grave robbers removed a marble slab and dug down to the casket and stole the body.
There were numerous reactions to the desecration. Police and pathologists looked for clues; the current leaders of the country called for its citizens to stay calm, and the ex-friends and foes of the deceased president were outraged at the sacrilege.
Everybody wanted to know where the body had been taken.
Like Mary, people cried at the idea that Papadopoulos' body had been moved or stolen.
Of course, there are some considerable and consequential differences between the story of a Cypriot ex-president and the account of the Christ. Most of those differences can be summed up this way: Jesus physically has risen from the dead, while the corpse of Tassos Papadopoulos awaits the Day of Judgment before his body and soul will be brought back together.
In truth, no one is predicting or expecting Mr. Papadopoulos will show up and pay a visit upon his old friends. Nobody has reported a visitation where the president sat down with them, conversed with them, ate with them, breathed on them, or blessed them.
Mr. Papadopoulos may have been a famous man -- even a great man to some -- but his abilities do not include the conquest of death. That is a power reserved for the person of God's Son.
As He promised, Jesus rose from the dead and showed Himself to many who had once mourned Him. In so doing, He showed the completeness of His sacrifice, the faithfulness of His Word, and gave birth to our hope of resurrection. Now, even today, a living Lord continues to keep His promise to be with us always.
And that, as we approach a New Year, is a comfort.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I give thanks for Your glorious resurrection. Not only am I assured You have conquered death, I also know Your promises are to be trusted. Now, grant me this grace in the New Year to draw me closer to You. This I pray in Your Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Visit here to be refreshed through a meditation on God's Word. The devotions are updated daily, and you can also receive these devotions daily via e-mail. If you would like to read a devotion from a previous date, please visit our devotion archives.
En Espaņol
"A New Year"
December 31, 2009
For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:5
The clock is ticking. You only have a few short hours to make your New Year's resolutions.
If you're drawing a blank as to what you should be resolving, this Daily Devotion may be of some help. On the next lines, according to those who say they know, are 2010's ten top resolutions:
1. Stop smoking.
2. Get fit.
3. Lose weight.
4. Enjoy life more.
5. Quit drinking.
6. Get organized.
7. Learn something new.
8. Get out of debt.
9. Spend more time with family.
10. Help others.
Now, if you don't smoke, you've already made resolution #1 and are off to a good start on the list. Keep it up!
As for me, if God wills, I'm going to keep writing the Daily Devotions. To that end, I'm resolving not to do a devotion on Tiger Wood's infidelities. Further, I shall abstain from any and all writing that could touch upon the antics of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Madonna, and Britney Spears. Finally, I shall not speak about anything that has to do with Michael Jackson, or Brad and Angelina.
And lest you think that is an easy decision on my part, you should know these people account for about half the news stories appearing on television.
There is one other thing these devotions are resolving to do. We will, on a daily basis, point to Jesus Christ as the world's Savior.
No matter what the days may hold, whether the news is good or bad, we will still do our best to show the Savior and how He continues to touch our moments and minutes, our days and our decades.
In spite of governments and individuals doing their best to push the risen Lord back into His tomb, we will proclaim He lives and is with His saved people.
So, without being blessed with the gift of prophecy and not knowing what the coming year will bring, I shall endeavor to remind you, and myself, that the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness extends to all generations.
To that end, I wish a most blessed New Year to you and those who are around you. May the Christ always be by your side.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, be with us in the New Year. May the Holy Spirit bring us into a closer relationship with our living Savior. Grant me the wisdom and grace in this New Year to witness where I can, to whom I can, whenever I can. This I pray in the Name of the Savior who gave His life so I might be forgiven and saved. In Jesus' most holy Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran HourŪ
Lutheran Hour Ministries
