It would seem that Grinches come in all shapes and varieties: some (expectedly) from the secular realm (e.g., the ACLU), and others (perhaps less expectedly) from professing Christian circles. This message is offered chiefly as a response to the latter group--who are often sincere & devout people who are concerned by lingering concerns with regard to the alleged "paganism" & "popery" associated with the celebration of Christmas. We hope that this message will serve to liberate some to be able to participate in the joy of the season and join in the godly & wholesome celebration that the angels and the shepherds inaugurated some 2,000 years ago (Luke 2:13-14, 20)! A briefer audio mp3 version of this message that was preached by Pastor Reese at the Valley Grace Brethren Church of Armagh, PA on 12/10/23 is available at https://archive.org/details/christmas-celebrate-live-12-10-23

Those "holiday blahs;" in our cynicism, we sometimes welcome the arrival of yet another Christmas in a lackadaisical manner--just as we take our local church and God's other works in our day for granted. We see believers despising the "Day of Small Things" (Zech. 4:10) and adopt a matter-of-fact attitude to what the Lord is doing in our midst--even now--during this time of preparation as we await the great events associated with glorious Second Appearing of our Lord. As we study the message of the prophet Haggai, let us be mindful that the First Advent of our Lord which we celebrate is all about the coming of the great "Desire of Nations" (Haggai 2:7)--and is thus something worth getting EXCITED about!