Most of my waking hours I carry a cell phone. Even when I am asleep, I have that cell phone on my bedside stand. Today most cell phones are referred to as “smartphones” because they can do many different things.
The truth is that technology today has made it where we can communicate with and receive information in a moment’s notice. When I hold that smartphone in my hand, I can talk, text, facetime, or email a person or a group of people.
It is amazing. I have one sister and she lives in Dunedin, New Zealand. In a matter of seconds, I can be talking to her, sending pictures to her, and communicating with her in numerous different ways.
Today we can communicate with a group of people in many ways, conference calls and group texts. This has been great for our small church. Lisa has a group text set up with all our members except two elderly ladies. When we have an announcement or reminder or change in church time or events, and prayer concerns, Lisa types it on her smartphone and hits send and everyone gets the text, and they can immediately reply to us.
I must admit there are times this group texting thing is bothersome. Here is the picture. It is after midnight. I am asleep and I hear this ping or buzz. Then I hear it again. I wake to find Lisa sitting up in bed, smartphone in hand and she is communicating with her family, sister in Arkansas, brother in Fort Worth, sister-in-law in Fort Worth and Shannon next door. I have concluded that Lisa’s family has a genetic mutation, and they do not know how to communicate with each other except between the hours of midnight and 3 AM.
With this Smartphone one can also access the internet. When an event, either good or tragic happens one can immediately find the information. Need something? Google it. We can find what we want/need and then order it and never leave the house, or car or office or wherever one may be. Now think with me about the first Christmas. There was no mass communication. The way that God communicated was through his prophets. God gave them the message and then they went through out the land delivering this message by word of mouth. The Bible tells us that for six hundred years prior to the coming of Christ, God had been silent. No word from God. No prophet to speak and lead the people.
Those were dark days. The world in turmoil. The Roman occupation had brought distress, slavery, death to the people of that day. As the Christmas song says, “The world was in darkness…” Their only hope was the promise of God. The promise that he would send the Messiah to save the world.
When the time came for that Messiah to come, God communicated with a star and with the proclamation of the Angels. Let us look at that proclamation found in Luke 2:10- 11,
“And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
Let me remind you that the only true way to celebrate Christmas is to adore, praise and worship God. Let’s remember the words of the hymn “Oh Come all Ye Faith”:
“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels:
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.”
