Billy Fenning shares his thought for the week; let us not lose our distinctiveness.
Well, it’s Christmas! But what is Christmas all about? Quite interesting when you listen to society today, that they are offended by the very word Christmas and they don’t want Christmas to be celebrated. They want us not to be distinctive in our Christian belief that Christ did come, that Christ was born, that we might live.
It’s a good time to reflect on just what Christmas is all about because our Christian faith is distinctive. It’s distinctive for many reasons. Yes, he was born of a virgin, but the Bible describes him as the prince of peace. He is the wise counsellor. He is God. He is the mighty God. And I just love that thought that here God became flesh and dwelt among us. So let us not lose our distinctiveness as believers because Christ came to share the light that you and I might have hope.
The book of Revelation describes him as king of kings and lord of lords. And when you look at the great kings and leaders over past history, whether it be Alexander the Great or King David, nations became great because of their leaders. Can I just say that Jesus Christ is still great? Because the Bible says his kingdom will know no end. His government will never cease. And I pray that you will understand that his kingdom will last forever. And let us, in the midst of all controversy about our Christian faith, particularly in today’s society, let us not lose our distinctiveness.
I was challenged the other week by a young man, a young man in the Bible. His name is Daniel. He and his friends were taken to exile to Babylon. And there the king tried to assimilate them into the Babylonian culture. They were given new names. They were given a new identity. They had to eat certain foods. But these young men stood against the whole concept of being assimilated into a different culture. They did not allow the culture around them to influence their distinctiveness. They didn’t eat the food, and they still maintained their Jewish faith. I pray that we, as we would just over this Christmas period, understand that we do have a Christian faith that is distinctive. Why? Because mighty God has come, Emmanuel. God is with us. God is in us. He is the Prince of Peace. We can’t water that down and embrace pluralism in our community, whilst we respect other religions and beliefs.
So let us, at this time, not be afraid to proclaim He is the reason for the season. And if they shout from the housetops, well, we’re offended because of the word Christmas. Well, I can’t think of a better word, because Christ came, and we will celebrate. Have a good Christmas. God bless.
Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.