“The Case For Christmas”

That’s a book by Lee Strobel. It’s available on Amazon.com for $1.99 right now and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Yes – it is written by a Christian. Yes – he writes of interviews with Christian theologians. Some reviews look upon that as a case of the blind leading the blind. I found it interesting to read a tiny bit about Strobel’s conversion, but more so about a Jew who looked beyond the Talmud’s view of Jesus and found himself following the teachings of a fellow Jew. Yes – the conversations were between Christians, but incorporated much information from others who do not believe in Him.

By now, you know that I have trusted, do and will trust Jesus as the promised Messiah, Son of God, my savior. And, I pray He is yours, too.

Back to talking about Christmas. There is a paragraph toward the end of the book:

So, ironically, it’s the evidence for Easter that provided the decisive confirmation for me that the Christmas story is true: that the freshly born baby in the manger was the unique Son of God, sent on a mission to be the savior of the world.
Strobel, Lee (2009-07-27). The Case for Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger (pp. 89-90). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

That’s why we celebrate Christmas. The two events are not special unless they are both real. In other words, there is no reason to be exchanging gifts unless it’s part of celebrating God’s gift to mankind. There’s no gift to mankind without the resurrection. Somehow I think a number of people are ignoring both of them as they fight crowds for the best deal to add more stuff to the stuff we have and that we really could live without.

Lee Strobel has written other books. I’d suggest “The Case For Christ,” also on Amazon (for a bit more – but it covers more, too.)  It tells Strobel’s reason for leaving atheism for Christianity.  All of us come to Him by different testimonies, different witnesses. And, we’re all willing to talk about the journey, about Him and about the reasons we serve Him. It’s with us every moment of every day simply because life is eternal and we share it with Him.

Very few are offered the opportunity to face Him the way that turned Saul into Paul, but we’re all ready to share the good news with anyone willing – or eager, in some cases – to hear how much He means to us. As I see it, what he means can be summed in two verses:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.(John 3:16 KJV)

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV)

For me, that’s Christmas.