Killeen schools made the news this week
because a teacher was told to take Christ out of the Charlie Brown Christmas. I
loved how much Christ was in our Christmas programs at church this week and
also at the Mother’s Day Out program last night. I am impressed with how our
doors down the preschool halls are decorated with Christ. But even the church must be
diligent to keep our focus on Christ.
Last week, I had not read far enough ahead
to notice that BELIEVE was going to go back to the first parts of Deuteronomy 6
to include the command that it is the parents who are charged to teach their
children about the Lord. But it doesn’t hurt to again say to parents as well as
principals and public officials that Christians cannot deny, ignore or omit Christ.
Parents, read the Christmas story to your kids this holiday, and not the
Clement Clarke Moore one. No, the one from Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 2:1-12. And
while you are at it, read it from the good ole King James…there is only one
thee and one thou in the whole passage!
That doesn’t mean we can’t seat our kids
on Santa Claus’ lap (although my sweet little 13 month old grandson didn’t seem to care for the experience) or sing about Rudolf or Hippopotamusses or even laugh about reindeer
running over grandma (although even before she was a grandma, my wife cared
even less for that song than my grandson cared for Santa!).
“Seek ye first” was a sing-a-long song we
would sing based on Matthew 6:33 as teenagers. “In all your ways, acknowledge
Him and He will direct your paths,” says Prov. 3:6. The first day of the week
is the Lord’s. The first-fruits belong to Him. The first 10 percent goes to
God. The first part of my day is my time before the Lord. Before our meals, we should pray. Before we sleep, we should thank Him for our day. More than keeping Christ in Christmas, we must strive to keep Christ in Christianity.
Linus had it right. “That’s what’s
Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” he said.
