The REAL CHRISTMAS ICON
in some ways should have been JOHN THE BAPTIST
Instead of a RED SUIT
we would have people in CAMEL’S HAIR and LEATHER BELTS
walking around the shopping centres
shouting “PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD”,
and giving out SAMPLES OF WILD LOCUSTS AND HONEY
for people to try.
When children come to SIT ON HIS LAP,
they would come to CONFESS THEY HAD BEEN NAUGTHTY, NOT NICE THEY’D CONFESS THEIR SINS and be baptized
We’d still have CHRISTMAS GATHERINGS THE SWIMMING POOL but it would be to BAPTIZE PEOPLE
(I’m talking about Christmas in the Whitsundays Australia! It’s hot here.)
NO ALCOHOL could be consumed.
John was a TEA TOTALLER,
and so Christmas would be ALCOHOL FREE.
Instead of saying “HO, HO, HO, MERRY CHRISTMAS”
Anybody attempting to bring alcohol, he would say,
“You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with your repentance;”
Not exactly a message that sits well today
in a culture of OVERINDULGENCE AND EXTRAVAGANCE.
But if you think about it,
it would actually make for a much more JOYFUL CHRISTMAS IF PEOPLE RESPONDED to what he had to say!
I remember THE ALCOHOLIC MAN across the road
from where I lived as a kid GOT SAVED through AA
and he was a TOTALLY CHANGED person at Christmas
He had been an ABUSIVE ALCOHOLIC
He managed to get HIS FAMILY BACK TOGETHER
and APOLOGIZED to all the neighbours
Imagine a Christmas where you RECEIVED THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE and had your SINS FORGIVEN, and REAL CHRISTMAS PEACE, WITH GOD AND OTHERS, and Christ entered into your heart.
You would be out there on the streets and in the SHOPPING CENTRES with John shouting “Prepare the way for Jesus this YEAR!”