SS is for Seasonal Sentiments, which today often exist in tension with the gospel of Christ crucified and raised.

Of course, our present celebration of Christmas is dependent on this early Christian tradition only for the date. The challenge to us as Christians today is not the missionary battle of replacing a devotion to the sun-god of Emesa with the true "Sun of Righteousness," Jesus Christ. That battle has been won, so to speak; Christmas is the international celebration. Still, in one sense the battle is never over. Today, the battle rages on, but from the opposite direction. There are all kinds of seasonal sentiments which celebrate "Christmas in name" but which subtly remove the crucified and risen One as the true center of devotion. Sentiments of "peace on earth and good will to all," noble as they are, are but mere sentiment until they find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. That's because we ourselves, as fallen creatures, are the greatest obstacle to their fulfillment. Christmas reminds us that our salvation comes only through the death and resurrection of One born in Bethlehem. In that sense, it is like celebrating Good Friday and Easter in December. For only as he is "born in us," as the familiar Christmas carol puts it-- meaning, only as we die to sin and rise anew with him in faith (Rom 6:5-11) -- will the darkness of life be dispelled and the sentiments of Christmas fulfilled.

May the light of the "Sun of Righteousness," Jesus the Christ, shine on you richly.

steve kuhl