Some people are curious about what I believe about celebrating Christmas. Turn with me to Romans 14:5-6 "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks."

The key phrase that I want to draw your attention to is found in verse 6 – "He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord;" If you are going to celebrate Christmas, then "regard it unto the Lord." I hope you understand that by and large, the things that make up modern day Christmas are pagan or fantasy in origin, including the date, the drinking, mistletoe, Christmas trees, yule logs, and even the star of the secular show, Santa Claus. For more information, read my articles at --

logosresourcepages.org/Holidays/c-tract.htm ü logosresourcepages.org/Holidays/santaclause.htm

logosresourcepages.org/Holidays/christmas_.htm

As Christians, we should celebrate Christmas in a Christ focused, Christ honoring way, if we are going to celebrate it.

So, those of us who choose to celebrate Christmas should follow Romans 12:21 "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Having said that, I want to move on out my Christmas message which poses the question, Why is Christ being shut out of Christmas?

When I was a kid, my mom made it clear that the Brown children were not to use any bad words. No cursing, no swearing, no barnyard talk. Per chance one of would disobey in this area, depending upon the word or words, the punishment was well known. We would get our mouths washed out with the soap of moms choice, be it Ivory, Life boy, Zest or even liquid dish soap, and perhaps a spanking for good measure. I remember my brother reeling off a string of foul language and he had to swish around a mouthful of liquid dish soap. He literally foamed at the mouth for the rest of the afternoon.

Now, perhaps you are wondering why am starting out my Christmas message with this story. It is because, many business & people now classify Christmas as a dirty word! Political correctness has gone mad. It seems like nearly everybody from the President on down the line to people on the street have become like old Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol…No Merry Christmas! In fact the world has become so inflexible, hard and calloused that, in the name of tolerance they will not tolerate Jesus Christ on the day we celebrate His Birthday. While they cry for open-mindedness, they cry "Bah, humbug to the Son of God. They are determined to have an Xmas, a Christless holiday. Oh yes, I feel compelled to reveal a little known fact. The word holiday was coined from two words – holy day. When that becomes known what is the politically correct crowd going to do? "Happy Holidays" will have to go and they will be compelled to say "Season’s Greetings," I suppose.

Lest you think I am exaggerating when I say that Christ is being shut out of Christmas, here are some facts.

• Verification That Christ Is Being Shut Out of Christmas

While I do not particularly care for Bill O’Reilly of Fox News, he has done a yeoman’s job of exposing companies that suffer from politically correct paranoia. He reported the following facts…

Here are some other things I want to bring to your attention…

Ridgeway Elementary School in Dodgeville Wisconsin has classrooms decorated with Santa Claus, Kwanza, Menorahs and La Befana (a witch) for their "winter program." They dumped Silent Night from their program and made it a secular song called "Cold In The Night" sung to the tune of Silent Night. After two letters from Liberty Counsel they claim they will sing the real Silent Night.

The Supreme Court once noted: "Music without sacred music, architecture minus the Cathedral, or painting without the Scriptural themes would be eccentric and incomplete, even from a secular view."

Did you know that Christmas, yes Christmas is a State and Federal Holiday? I wrote the mayor and three alderman letters pointing out that it OK and even legal to use the term Christmas. Our mayor had been struggling with what to say (Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas) and called to thank me for sending him material that clearly proved that the Constitution does NOT require government officials, teachers, etc. to eliminate all public Christian expression from Christmas.

But, the battle continues. In Winter Park Florida, Senior Citizens living in government-subsidized housing were told that they may not sing Christmas carols. They were also told that they may not have outside religious groups or churches sing Christmas carols in the facilities.

Bethany Towers provides housing to low-income seniors and persons with disabilities. It is in Mechanicsburg PA. They were told they may not have religious decorations in the main lobby or in the day rooms on each floor. Further, they may not have Christmas Decorations on their doors.

It’s a fact, Christ IS being expelled from Christmas. This year I have heard by far more "Happy Holidays" than "Merry Christmas." Outside of or church, the "Merry Christmasses" are few and far between. But why?

• Why Is Christ Being Left Out of Christmas?

Things are going back to like they were in Bible times. Isaiah the prophet saw how the lost would respond to Christ. Turn in you Bibles to Isaiah 53:3 "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

The Hebrew word translated despised means to hold in contempt. Noah Webster defines contempt this way – "The act of viewing or considering and treating as mean, vile and worthless. This word is one of the strongest expressions of a mean opinion which the language affords." Our Savior was the object of contempt and scorn alike by the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Romans. In his life on earth it was so; in his death it was still so; and since then, His name and person have been extensively the object of contempt. Since our nation is losing its Biblical moorings, God and His Christ are increasingly being held in contempt! That’s why Christ is being left out of Christmas.

There is another reason that Christ is being left out of Christmas. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter 2:7-8 "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."

To believers, Jesus Christ is precious. We esteem Him above all others. But, to the unsaved crowd, who are disobedient to His Word, Jesus is "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence. Remember, Jesus is the light of the world and sinners love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Sinners don’t want to be reminded of their sins. That’s why they would rather focus on ANYTHING but Christ…Santa, the Grinch, the reindeer, pagan customs, anything but Christ. Using the name of Christ makes the feel guilty. Christ explains this quite clearly in John 15:18-25 "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause." (Psalm 35:19). That’s why they want Christ out of Christmas. They hate Christ and they hate God for exposing their sins, yet Christ has paid for their sins and wants them to be saved.

The most important thing about Christmas are the first six letters – Christ. I will close by reading you The Incomparable Christ written by an unknown author.

More than nineteen hundred years ago, there was a man who lived in poverty and was reared in obscurity. He possessed neither wealth nor influence. In infancy He startled a king; in childhood He puzzled doctors; in manhood He ruled the course of nature, walked upon the waves as if they were pavements, and hushed the sea to sleep. He used no medicines and yet he healed multitudes. He never wrote a book, and yet all the libraries of the country could not hold the books that have been written about Him. He never wrote a song, and yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters combined. He never marshaled an army, or drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun; yet no leader ever had more volunteers who have, under his orders, persuaded more rebels to stack arms and surrender without a shot fired. Every Sunday the wheels of commerce cease their turning, and multitudes wind their way to worshipping assemblies to pay homage and respect to Him. The names of the past scientists, philosophers, and theologians have come and gone; but the Name of this Man abounds more and more. Though time has spread more than nineteen hundred years between the people of this generation and the scene of His Crucifixion, He still lives. Herod could not destroy Him, and the grave could not hold Him. He stands forth upon the highest pinnacle of glory, proclaimed of God, acknowledged by the angels, adored by saints, and feared by devils, as the living Personal Christ, our Lord and Savior.