Sunday, December 24, 2006

Merry Christmas?

I recently read an article on-line at "theooze.com" The author suggested that we ought to join the atheists and have Christmas moved out of our lexicon. At first, I must admit I was aghast at the suggestion that there would not be a Christmas.

As I read on in the article, I saw the angle the author was taking. In our country, many of the right wing religious have chosen the battle over Christmas as they see it as a rallying cry of the "culture wars." They claim that political correctness and wishing people "Happy Holidays" is somehow an affront to Christianity. While I can see the way the right would view this as a threat, I concur with the author who blames Christians for the whole mess.

Let me explain. I believe that Christians may be just as guilty as the secularists of buying into the commercialization and the watering down of the season. I am guilty of going overboard in the gift buying and forgetting the poor and broken of society. Often I try to assuage my guilt by ringing a bell or working in a toy shop at Christmas thinking that the material blessing of Christmas will somehow work the miracle of healing hurt at this time of year.

The fact is that most of us will forget the poor after today and we won't hear a Christmas song after tomorrow. We will simply allow the season to move out as we argue about whether we can have a Christmas tree at an airport or whether we can have a nativity at the town square. Whether we can or not, I think the real issue has become our inability as Christians to live out the Christmas story with open-handed living and unconditional gracefulness. I would imagine that if we lived that way we would have a less difficult time with those who want to eliminate Christmas.

I admit this year, I have gone overboard this Christmas with the lights and the gifts and done precious little to really spread the Good News that there is a saviour born who is Christ the Lord. For that reason, maybe I should align myself with those who want to eliminate that kind of Christmas. Maybe, just maybe, we should get rid of that Christmas. It is probably time we get over with the Christmas we celebrate and really celebrate the Christmas God wants us to. It is a Christmas where we share and extend the Spirit of the season throughout the year.

So I am thinking I should wish you all a Merry Christmas. If it means wishing you the type of Christmas where we run to stores at 5 am on Christmas Eve for a special or where we can't wait to go to the latest blockbuster, I am not sure that I want to do that. If it is somehow a celebration of the nativity and grace, then I think I will. I want to share the hope of Christ. So should I wish you a Merry Christmas?

I am in quandary. I want to celebrate, but I am somewhat torn. I am not sure what to do. I don't want to be a downer. I really want to celebrate. What should we do? Merry Christmas?

What do you think?

1 Comments:

Blogger neatr_natr said...

I too admit that secularism and materialism have ruled my Christmas this year. Perhaps a formal protest should be lodged. What would speak louder than rather than battling to keep our Christmas trees here or there we battle to ignore what Christmas has become. Of course we won't, because the Gospel is not compelling to us in our everyday world, our faith is tainted, its a bludgeon we use during election seasons and to let our family members know we don't care for their lifestyle choice. We sing songs and speak out against the "Secularists" but as our pastor pointed out this Sunday, Joy cannot be present where there is an us them mentality. Joy comes when working for other things, namely the Gospel.

Bet you didn't expect to see the word bludgeon in a post about Christmas. Blessings, lets pray we lose the true American religion of consuming and learn to be satisfied.

8:25 PM  

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