NativityDear Friends & Fans,

During the past month I have noticed that the level of political correctness on display in the US has risen to an insane level. Uttering the simple phrase “Merry Christmas” has seemingly been transformed into at an impoliteness for some, but is analogous to a hate crime for others. How did this happen in a country where religious tolerance is woven into the very fabric of our national heritage? More importantly, where will it end? Will it eventually be a crime to say “Merry Christmas”?

So this year…I have decided to use my annual Christmas Greeting to do more than merely wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, but instead to explain why I feel Christmas should be Merry, and why as a country (and as individuals) we should not forget the true Spirit that is the reason for the season.

During the reign of Augustus Caesar in the far eastern Roman province of Palestine, a child was born whose life would change the world like no other person in history. Jesus, son of Joseph (Yeshua bar Yosef) was to some simply a son born to a young girl and an older man who made his living as a stonemason (tekton). He would grow up and learn his father’s trade, leave home for a time to travel with a bunch of religious fanatics, and then meet an untimely death at the hands of the Roman authorities. By any account a short and tragic life. But like so many stories, the truth is far stranger (and more interesting) than the fiction.

Jesus of Nazareth was in fact the Creator of the Universe in human form. The very Son of God sent to Earth to establish a new covenant with His people founded on love rather than law. By living as a man, experiencing all of the joy, sadness, pain, temptation, fear, and hope that is the Human Experience…He showed us a way to be reconciled to God. And by living a sinless life and offering Himself as a living sacrifice for the sins of the entire world (past, present, and future), He built a bridge between this world and the next that everyone is invited to cross.

True peace and true joy can only be found in the context of a relationship with Jesus Christ. His Holy Spirit is what should compel us not only through this season, but every day of our lives.

So if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, be sure to wish everyone you meet a “Merry Christmas”, because when you do, you are giving them a blessing and honoring your God.

So to all my friends & fans…MERRY CHRISTMAS!