This was sent out by Walk in the Word to e-mail subscribers this week:
I look forward to having a great time with a new response to ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays.’ When people say that to me, I will answer, “It’s a boy!”
You should try it out. These three words will help you point to Jesus and lead you into some great conversations with both believers and non-believers.
It’s so easy to forget that Christmas is about the fulfillment of prophecy: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). It’s a boy!
And the miracle of a virgin birth: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:23). It’s a boy!
And the mission accomplished by this baby: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). It’s a boy!
Why do I like this response so much? It’s God’s answer for the universal problem of sin in the world. It’s what makes it possible for me to look forward to eternal life. It’s what gives me the peace and joy so I can have a Merry Christmas. It’s a boy!
So try this response. It’s just one way to stay focused on the real meaning of Christmas.
~James MacDonald
Unusual – but it would cause a person to THINK. I’ll try it. Thanks.
Comment by meetingintheclouds — November 30, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
Thank you for tethering your thoughts so clearly to scripture – and such familiar scripture. There is something wonderful about meditating on passages we know so well – and enjoying how the Lord makes them new again. It’s a boy – and what a boy!
Comment by Woody Hartwell — November 30, 2011 @ 8:26 pm