Is there another story?

We have a beautiful popup book in our office that depicts the Nativity. One of our patients came in and said she has the same book, but with a "different Christmas story." I was stunned - there's another Christmas story??? 

Later she recalled, "It's T'was Night Before Christmas." Oh. Ok, there may be other stories that are popular at this time of year. But is there really any other Christmas story besides the one in the Word?

No there isn't.

Sure there are plenty of movies and books about Christmas-time. Poems and prose. Sweet, sentimental stories. Children's cartoons and classic movies. Comedies and dramas. We have our favorites, and new ones are written and released each year. But with rare exception, these are not Christ-mas stories. They are Christmastime stories - seasonal stories that touch our hearts or make us smile.

The real Christmas story is found in 4 chapters of God's Word. The first two chapters in the gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke tell us the enthralling report of the people and events surrounding the birth of the God the Son. We don't need to add anything to the story. In fact, we're commanded not to (Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18).

Now there's nothing wrong with most of these Christmas-time stories - unless we mistake them for the true Christ-mas story. And there's nothing wrong with shopping, decorating, baking, and all the other activities we do leading up to December 25th - unless we mistake doing them for celebrating Him.

God chose the simplest, humblest way to usher in the Messiah. He didn't add anything. In fact, He subtracted!
No royal throne for the King. Just a manger filled with hay.
No prestigious entourage - well unless you count the heavenly host filling the night sky ;D

I pray your next two weeks are filled with the real story, adding only that which would enhance your worship rather than distract from it.

What do you think??