Dear Lord, the world doesn't want Jesus to be revered, respected or worshipped. I give thanks that in spite of king and comic, Jesus remains the Savior for millions, and He is the Savior for me. This Christmas may Christian pulpits proudly proclaim the coming of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Denial"

December 7, 2011

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him. ... Matthew 2:11a


The month of December has our televisions putting forth a great many Christmas specials.

Of course, there are Christmas specials and there are Christmas specials.

Among the best of those featured is A Charlie Brown Christmas, which has Linus relating the entire story of Jesus' birth. At the other end of the spectrum will probably be a program that is going to air in Canada.

It is called A Russell Peters Christmas Special!

Although I know attempts at censorship often have a reverse effect, I would encourage our Canadian viewers to give that program a wide berth. Now I wouldn't ask that of you if I didn't have a reason.

The reason is this: Pamela Anderson -- the girl from Baywatch, the star of the TV series Stacked, the lady whose honeymoon film was videotaped and shared -- has been cast to play the role of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.

To be honest, I haven't seen the program or read the skit in which Ms. Anderson is featured. While it may be quite tasteful, I'm willing to go out on a limb and say it will probably strive for some pretty cheap laughs.

Explaining his choice of stars to an upset religious audience, Mr. Peters said they picked Pam Anderson because she is a Canadian, and they wanted Canadians on the show. I can understand that. We should support our local folk whenever we can. Still I wonder if there weren't any other Canadian actresses, actresses without a questionable reputation, who might have been called on to play the part.

This really takes us to the point of this devotion. In one way or another, the world has always tried to kill off the Savior. Herod tried to do it with his soldiers; comedians try to do it with their jokes. In spite of their best efforts Jesus remains for hundreds of millions, the Savior of the world, the Redeemer of our souls.

This is why, this Advent season if you're given a choice between going to a worship service or seeing one of these questionable Christmas specials, I pray you will see the Christ and not one of His disrespectful critics. I pray you may see that which is really special.