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To the Editor:

The Covered Bridge and Bristol Motor Speedway are beautiful at Christmas. The churches of Carter County have beautiful music and decorations at Christmas. The baby in the manger makes a beautiful Christmas scene. but don’t leave Jesus there. Make Jesus your Savior and Lord and have a relationship with Jesus that will change your life forever. The song, “Away in a Manger” is a beautiful song. Jesus is truly a Way in a manger to have your sin forgiven and have a relationship with God. Jesus isn’t coming back to a manger, but soon to a throne in Israel to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The Bible says “though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow.” The snow reminds us that our stain of sin can be removed forever by Jesus. According to Dr. John McTernan most are unaware that Jesus said he came to heal the brokenhearted. See Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1-2. Getting through Christmas when you’ve lost a loved one can be difficult. Those lonely at Christmas can visit the lonely at nursing homes. Some never get a visitor. What you do for others, God will do for you. Most of all it helps to focus on Jesus and the spiritual dimension of Christmas. People in 2024 have more computer and screen time than ever before and are the most lonely. Isaiah 26:3 says “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee (Jesus). Because he trusts in thee (Jesus).” One day God will wipe away all tears. Until that day God will give us peace if we focus on the prince of peace, Jesus!

The book, What if Jesus Had Never Been Born, by the late Dr. D. James Kennedy, documented how Jesus has had the most positive effect of anyone in history. Christians have done more than any group or religion to promote education and literacy worldwide. Christians have built thousands of hospitals and orphanages all over the world. Organizations started by Christians such as the Salvation Army, Red Cross and Samaritan’s Purse help millions every year. Scholar Charles Murray in his book, Human Accomplishment, found Christianity underlies most of human accomplishments. For positive impact Jesus reigns supreme. No one even comes close. Those who think they can go to heaven or even celebrate Christmas without Jesus are only going through the motions. C.S. Lewis said it best in describing the importance of Jesus and how dark and cold the world would be without Jesus. It would be, “always winter, never Christmas!” 

Without question Jesus is the most unique and most  important person to ever live. We celebrate the unique virgin birth of Jesus at Christmas and Jesus’ unique resurrection from the dead at Easter. Paraphrasing the end of an old poem by James Allen Francis best shows the importance of Jesus. “Twenty centuries have come and gone and today Jesus is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the governments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one, solitary life!”

 

D.D. Nave

Elizabethton