As tomorrow is Christmas Day, many Americans are preparing for a hectic schedule of church, family gatherings, presents, caroling, and more. But as President Ronald Reagan reminded us, we should not let the “hustle and bustle” of Christmas drown out the true meaning of the holiday.
Ronald Reagan was one of our most eloquent presidents, and also a devout Christian. The man who took down the Soviet Union knew how terribly important it was to rely on Divine Providence. And what better time of year to refocus on God than on the anniversary of His birth?
In 1983, Reagan’s Christmas message was centered around Scripture. “Of all the songs ever sung at Christmastime, the most wonderful of all was the song of exaltation heard by the shepherds while tending their flocks on the night of Christ's birth,” he said, referring to the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
Related: The Mystery of the Nativity and Why Leftists Cannot Understand Christmas
The president summarized the moment when the birth of the Divine Messiah was first revealed to those whom He would save:
An angel of the Lord appeared to them and said: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.'” Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of voices praising the Heavenly Father and singing: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'”
It is worth noting the historical context of this message from Reagan. He was talking about the peace brought by God at Christmas in the midst of the Cold War, when it seemed to many as if the Soviet Union would never crumble and might even surpass the United States as the prime world power.
A few years later, when the Berlin Wall fell, it shocked the world. But Reagan foresaw it. And like many a great leader before him, he knew that sometimes to bring peace upon the Earth, one has to be prepared for war. Yet he never lost sight of the end goal. He did not build up our arsenals and target our enemies because he was power-hungry or war-obsessed. Always peace was what he aimed for.
And he was able to undermine the foundations of the most powerful evil empire of his time precisely because he did have the integrity, devotion, and vision that comes with being a Christian leader. Unlike so many of our politicians now, he took his principles from the Bible.
Indeed, Reagan ended his Christmas message by urging all Americans to live out the message of Christmas in their everyday lives, as he strove to do in his. “Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations we forget that the true meaning of Christmas was given to us by the angelic host that holy night long ago,” Reagan said. “Christmas is the commemoration of the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, whose message would truly be one of good tidings and great joy, peace and good will. During this glorious festival let us renew our determination to follow His example.”
We cannot do better than take his advice to heart and follow it this Christmas season.
