geoff@pmafire.inel.gov (Geoff Allen) (12/19/90)
December 17, 1990. 8 shopping days to Christmas. That message, along with a cute Peanuts cartoon, appears on the front page of our newspaper every day. It really summarizes the ``meaning'' of Christmas for most in our society. But Christmas is more than shopping till you drop (or you exceed the credit limit on your Visa card), a jolly old red-suited man carrying a bag full of toys, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh, or an excuse to decorate our homes and bake yummy goodies. It is the time when we celebrate the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords, God incarnate. He was born in a stable and greeted into the world by cattle, sheep, and a few shepherds who wandered in from the countryside because of a message of hope brought by angels (who most certainly *didn't* sing in Latin, but it still makes for a good song). The message was simple -- ``Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'' And *that* is what Christmas is all about (as even the Peanuts gang knows, if you've seen ``A Charlie Brown Christmas''). This Christmas, I wish for all of you a real sense of the ``good tidings of great joy'' made possible by the birth, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Merry Christmas! And remember... 8 worshipping days to Christmas. ^^^^^^^^^^^ Geoff