Everett Piper Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

Christ's Mass


Ideas matter as do the words used to express those ideas. Take for example the word Christmas. Since the 14th Century this word has meant Christ's - mass: 

 

Christ - An obvious acknowledgement of the deity of the child born in Bethlehem.  Christ - the savior of all mankind.  Christ - Emmanuel, God with us.  Christ - For he shall save his people from their sins.  Christ - Born of a Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilot, crucified, risen, and coming again - the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.  Christ - the lion of Judah, the Lamb of God - Joy to the world the Lord has come!  Christ!

 

Mass - A statement to go forth under a singular banner.  Mass- a mission, a message, a mantra.  Mass -unmistakable clarity - vision casting - an unapologetic sermon that guides and directs and says you are dismissed to go walk the walk and talk the talk.  Mass - not a time of man's mushy manipulation.  Not a time of postmodern opinions.  Not a time of political popularity.  Mass - the message of the Messiah - The mission of God's chosen one.  The word made flesh and dwelling among us.  Mass!

 

So this is Christmas.  Christ's Mass.  Not Buddha's mass. Not Mohammed's mass.  Not Hare Krishna's mass.  It's not Pelosi's, Bush's, yours or mine.  It is Christ's mass!

 

We can say it's just a holiday.  We can call it a winter festival.  We can commercialize it, homogenize it, politicize it and compromise it but in the end the bottom line is this… The word means something and all our attempts to spin it, manipulate it and change it simply show us to be spoiled children pouting because we didn't get what we wanted for Christmas.