While checking out at Wal-Mart last Christmas, the cashier casually asked my children if they were ready for Santa Claus. Not missing a beat my then five-year-old replied, “No, Santa Claus isn’t real.”
Taken aback, the nice woman tried once more, “Oh, but he is. He lives in my heart.”
To which my young son said, “No, he don’t ’cause he’s not real.”
She looked at me in horror. I smiled and said, “Yes, we are that family and these are those children who tell everyone Santa Claus isn’t real.” She could not believe my four children did not believe in Santa Claus and had never believed in him. How utterly ridiculous we were to this woman. On the other hand, my kids were shocked as they recognized the fallacy of her statement–only Jesus should live in our hearts, not Santa Claus.
Oh, did I mention the cashier told me she was a believer?
The enemy has worked hard to deceive and confuse people (even believers) when it comes to the Nativity. His goal is for us to view the virgin birth of Christ as a myth. Barna Research released data today saying the Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate.
The Nativity had one purpose Satan does not want anyone to realize.
You.
The Nativity was just the beginning. The cross was Jesus’ destination from the start–for you. God was not surprised by the lack of room, the manager, or Herod’s evil plan to kill the newborn baby. As Corrie ten Boom said, “There’s no panic in heaven, just plans.”
While Satan continues to try and wipe the significance of the birth of Christ from our culture, Genesis 3:15 shows us the virgin birth, cross, and defeat of Satan were planned all along. And Romans 10:8 tells us why Satan works hard to reinvent the birth of Christ as a myth:
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Then in verse 13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Salvation is the purpose of the Nativity. Salvation for you and me is the purpose of the cross. Without the virgin birth there is no diety, and without the deity of Christ there is no cross, crucifixion, or resurrection. God’s magnificent plan to save you and me begins to unfold in those humbling Nativity scenes we’ve looked at for the last two weeks.
Unless we tell us others–especially our family–how will they know the truth of the Nativity? The push is on to remove Christ from everything–especially Christmas. I have heard believers say, “Oh, it will never happen, so I don’t worry about it.” For those grounded in faith, it may not be an issue. But what about our children, grandchildren, and generations to come who are being raised in a society that is systematically removing Christ and not being grounded in the Word? Do you see the importance of our diligence as women of God to seek the truth and teach it to our families and others?
This Christmas season truly is not about anything other than remembering the message of salvation for all of us as seen in the birth of Christ. Many things will get lost in our busy-ness, but let’s not allow the story of Christ’s birth and the reason He came to be one of them.
About Kellie Renfroe
Kellie and her husband Greg have been married 32 years and have four children ranging in age from 17 to 28. She co-founded Mentoring Moments for Christian Women in 2005. Kellie is a homeschooling mom who enjoys reading, studying the Bible, writing, photography, and learning how to cook.
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