“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:13,14).
Some people may be taking down their Christmas decorations, but most people will still be celebrating the holiday season through New Year’s Day. In the statement made by the angel to the shepherds and accented by an angelic chorus, the real purpose for the celebration of this holy time is to glorify God.
In 1982, in his Christmas book, Be Born in Us Today, Dr. Billy Simmons wrote: “Christmas should bring glory to God in the highest. Surely, in the most blessed of Christian seasons, we are to glorify the God who sent his Son into the world that we might have eternal life. We should bring glory to God by our words as well as by our actions.”
But Simmons also wrote something that would make too many people squirm like a worm on a hot rock. He said, “For many poor, misguided folk, Christmas means the festal merriment engendered by the spirits of fermented grapes or grain rather than the true spirit of the season fostered by the indwelling Spirit of the living God. This sort of activity is a mockery to the meaning of the holy season.”
History reveals that before the advent of the Christmas carol, celebrations at Christmastime had become so depraved and rowdy that the English Parliament once forbade the observance of the joyous season. The meaning of that holy time of the year had been reduced to a maelstrom of drunken revelings, laced with disorderly conduct, and depravities. It was so bad that decent people found it necessary to stay at home for safety. The situation, in fact, became so shameful that in 1644 Parliament passed strict laws making it illegal to commemorate the season in any manner.
Glory to God in the highest, let’s booze it up. That’s was obviously their mantra, and it appears that our own time isn’t far from it.
Alcohol.org notes that today people are bombarded with reasons to drink during the holidays. Old friends and family members come over for a visit. Great! Let’s have a drink. Companies host their holiday parties. Alright! Let’s Paaarrrty! The decorations and the Christmas lights are so pretty and cheerful. Yeah, they look even prettier after a few drinks. The New Year is in front of us. Let’s drink to it! “Binge drinking during the holidays is a big law enforcement and public health problem, and the statistics and data paint a picture that isn’t very festive,” says Alcohol.org.
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: Christian Post, Rev. Mark H. Creech
BCNN1 WP 