Hebrews Have the Best Christmas

I was listening to a new Christmas album from Beckah Shae while in Alabama. I had this inkling that she is of Jewish heritage because she uses quite a bit of Hebrew in her music, but I wasn't sure. (Edwin disagreed. He didn't think she looked "Jewish enough". Very politically correct, I know.) Anyway, her mom is a Messianic Jewish woman, so I was right. He was wrong.

In thinking about all of that, this idea occurred to me: How awesome would it be to be Jewish, realize Christ is, in fact, the Messiah, and then celebrate Christmas without any preconceived traditions. It's just about Jesus, not cookies, not Santa, nothing but the promised Messiah! I got a little jealous at the thought. Can you imagine growing up with the belief that a Savior is coming, growing constantly in the anticipation of His arrival, and then realizing that He is here? How cool would that be?

I've always been annoyed by the way that we have removed the Judaism from Christ. (Just try to find a Jewish looking nativity set. You would think that Jews for Jesus would have a set, but I can't find it.) He was Jewish, and that matters. It makes the entire Old Testament make sense. Without a Jewish Christ, there is very little meaning in the majority of Scripture. We have robbed ourselves of the significance of a Savior by forgetting the crescendo leading to Him.

I'm pretty sure that it's impossible to un-do the last two thousand years and return to a more complete understanding of Jesus and the Old Testament. But I can choose to think on the idea of a truly Messianic Christmas, and I believe that I shall.