Christmas! I know people, none of whom are children, who think Christmas is boring. To these uninspired folks Christmas comes with relentless regularity and seemingly increasing frequency. These poor benign souls view the Christmas carols as worn and hackneyed. They are wearied of the accouterments of the season and generally tired of trying to pretend that they are in favor of what they view as the sham of what Christmas has become.

To others Christmas is blatant - at least the commercialization of Christmas has become blatant and gets more blatant each year. Many succumb to the temptation to participate in the mass-market feeding frenzy to the detriment of their credit ratings and sanity. One man asked, "Where in the Bible does it say we need to max out our MasterCards in an insane effort to destroy our children's work ethic?"

Yet, others regard Christmas with the "Bah Humbug" of an Ebenezer Scrooge. These cold, calculating, self-centered people look at Christmas as an unwelcome intrusion into their lives. Like a malignant virus, they want to impose their pusillanimous spirit and ill-will upon everyone whose life intersects with theirs.

Then there are actually those who are belligerent toward Christmas. They have more than a "bah humbug" attitude toward Christmas; they despise the mention of the name. They want to change "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays." They want to remove "manger scenes" from public squares. They are on a mission to take "Christ" out of Christmas.

But then, there is John Berg. Berg loves Christmas. He recalls his family's first Christmas in their new house with much emotion. They put the Christmas tree in the round bay window at the center of the living room. He recounted, "I always love to look at the tree just as I love to go hear the "Messiah" and to play CDs of Christmas carols."

Berg continues, "Mostly, I love it (Christmas) because we have always done it. Doing it again means that we are a family, that we love and care for each other ... It makes me feel warm and safe. There's more though," Berg admits, "I love the 'Messiah' because it is great music, but part of that greatness is a feeling of faith, and I love that too."

Now chances are that as a reader of The Christian Index you never thought of Christmas as boring, and perhaps have not even considered the commercialism of Christmas as blatant. You certainly haven't had a "bah humbug" attitude toward Christmas; and being belligerent or bellicose about this season of the year never crossed your mind.

But then, maybe, just maybe, John Berg's thoughts about Christmas have struck a responsive chord in your heart.

Well, let me clue you in on a little secret. John Berg is an atheist. He does not have a belligerent, but a benevolent attitude toward Christmas. Berg explains, "Having no religious faith myself, the faith of others moves me all the same. Without sharing their beliefs, I share their religiosity."

Christmas must be more than an honored tradition, an occasion for the expression of filial love and a season to feel warm and safe.

Christmas is not incidental; it is monumental! We celebrate Christmas in recognition of the incarnation - that moment in history when God stepped out of the ivory palaces of heaven to be born of a virgin in the lowliest of circumstances in order to become our substitute and sovereign in redemptive love.

A superficial nod toward heaven at Christmas will never satisfy the demands of a holy God who demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners He gave His only begotten Son to die for us.

Spend some time this Christmas contemplating God in a manger. Think about His condescension on our behalf. Study II Corinthians 8:9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

May the blessings of Christmas flood your soul and challenge you to greater Christian living.