Counterfeit Christmas
Hello again
The City of London police force recently urged Christmas shoppers not to be lured into buying bargain designer products as gifts, after seizing counterfeit goods worth over £1m in recent raids. The haul included fake designer handbags, watches, trainers and perfumes which, apart from being illegal and often of very poor quality, can often be a health hazard. Counterfeit toys, for example, can contain toxic chemicals and knock-off electrical goods can overheat or short out, causing fires.
While this announcement is sage advice, avoiding counterfeit Christmas gifts of itself will not prevent us from celebrating a counterfeit Christmas. What makes Christmas authentic is not designer presents, a jolly Santa, a turkey, trimmings or a tree; it is Jesus Christ. Christmas without Jesus is empty, meaningless, just another holiday. What Christmas without Christ really means is the absence of hope for humankind.
Whatever we do at Christmas time, if we don’t build it on the solid foundation of Christ, it is as phony as a replica Rolex. As Corrie Ten Boom wisely said, “Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.”
Have a blessed Christmas, everyone, and may Christ be at the very centre of yours.
Kind regards
Peter Mill
About the Writer:
Peter Mill is a Minister and Regional Pastor for Scotland, Ireland and the North of England.