The Real Christmas ...

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!”