“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.'” (Matt 2:13-15 NIV)

So Christ, with His parents, under the advisement of God our Father, was chased out of Bethlehem due to the circumstances, His birthplace, for His own safety!

Similarly, in many Western countries, Christ is being chased out of Christmas. The term “Merry Christmas” is considered “intolerant”, and has been replaced with “Happy Holidays”. Even the English word “Christmas” has been changed to “Xmas”! Fortunately the world doesn’t know that the X still stands for Christ, or that would probably be changed as well! Even Christmas plays in schools have been replaced with World Festivals that honour all religions!

In all of this we can’t help but ask ourselves, why do the Western Nations still celebrate Christmas? Where is the Christ, the reason of these festivities, in all of this?

But let’s remember that God is greater than these circumstances! After Herod’s death, Christ came back to Israel. He returned to do what He does best: To save us despite our shortcomings!

Reykjavik, Iceland is now considered one of the cleanest cities in the world. Gone is the coal that was once used for heating. Gone is the heavy black smog that used to cover the city. Gone are the diseases associated with pollution that threatened all of its inhabitants.

Reykjavik’s air is now crisp, clean, clear and fresh. All polluting energy sources have been replaced with the abundant geo-thermal energy. In fact, energy is the cheapest commodity in Iceland, so cheap that Icelanders leave their windows open during the winter, and as a result, asthma and the common cold are almost non-existent.

There is hope for humanity!

Christ cannot be taken away from Christmas. His presence can be felt by us not only on this special day, but every day of the year. He is alive, and no matter how we try to hide the fact, He will come back for us. On that day, everyone will stop rushing to and fro. Everyone will realize that there is more to life than our own ego. On that day, everyone will kneel before Him, for He is truly the only One worth worshipping! The black smog called sin will eventually dissipate as Christ promised us!

Just as the once heavily-polluted Reykjavik is now one of the cleanest cities on Earth, we can experience purity now in the presence of our Saviour, where any polluting endeavours of our world strangely become dim. Who cares what they call Christmas now-a-days! It is still Christmas to us who believe! We have reason to celebrate! Jesus is alive! No matter what attempts were made on His life, no one can snatch Him away from us. He is the One who rose from the dead. He is the One who offers us victory! Hallelujah!

Merry Christmas my friends! Enjoy His company. He’s unlike anyone on earth!

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “Christmas Under Fire” devotional series, please click here.)