It's Christmas!

It's Christmas!

Time to go to church.

Time to give gifts.

Time to sing carols.

Time to decorate.

Time to bake.

Time to send out cards.

Time to be merry and bright.

Churches will be filled this week with people who haven't been there since Easter, unless there was a wedding or funeral since then.

People have been frantically shopping to find the perfect gift. Hoping to make Christmas merry for their friends and loved ones - even if they haven't spoken to them all year.

Families will gather together to sing songs about the birth of Christ, ignoring the lack of biblical truth in some of the songs.

Hours will be spent decorating the trees, the yard, the house, the church, the business, the cookies, the gifts. And lots of money spent on the frills.

Cookies, pies, turkeys, hams, soups and sandwiches will be prepared for a gluttonous feast - or feasts.

Cards and letters will be sent to people, salving our consciences for another year of not keeping in contact.

And we'll all paste on a smile and wish each other "Merry Christmas!" while struggling through the stress of the season, the failed marriage, the rebellious child, the meaningless job, the depression and thoughts of suicide.

But that's okay. It's Christmas. It's what we do. It's how we celebrate. It's tradition. It's okay.

It's Christmas.

Maybe next Sunday, the Sunday after Christmas, the churches should be filled again.

This time filled with repentance.

Repenting over the hypocrisy of occasional church attendance (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Repenting over materialism (1 Timothy 6:10).

Repenting over false doctrine and Bible interpretation in the songs and sermons of the season (Jude 3-4).

Repenting over the foolish waste of money spent on decorations (1 Peter 3:3-4).

Repenting over gluttony (Proverbs 23:21).

Repenting over the fraudulent behavior and ignoring the spiritual needs of those around us (Galatians 6:1-2).

But it probably won't happen.

It's Christmas and it's just the way we do things.