Clash of Cultures?
Let me start by saying I love Christmas. I love the True Meaning of Christmas, Christ our Lord, more than life itself. It is for me a great season of hope and blessing. I just returned from our office Christmas celebration where there was frivolity but also a sense of the Holy. Jesus was lifted up, but in a gentle loving way.
Recently, I had a deep conversation about saying Merry Christmas. The conversation took place as a result of some recent bad press regarding people not saying Merry Christmas. The discussion with my friend went to the thought of us protecting our rights as Christians. He went on to say that we should fight to keep the holiday from being secularized for the sake of profits. Well, as a Christian I thought about that. I am not sure that I need to protect anything. I am not sure Christ has called me to fight in that way. He has called me to lift Him up as the Prince of Peace during this season. I am not sure that calls upon me to join a pitched battle for the right to say Merry Christmas.
What He does call me to do is to be compassionate, loving and kind. He calls me to do things to better humanity without expecting anything in return. He calls me to love those who disagree with me. He calls me to say "Merry Christmas" with my actions and then share the Gospel as the opportunity arises. I am not sure Jesus will need me to fight His battles. If I read scripture right, He has already won.
That brings me to another point. Much has been made about the fact that the Church has fought against the right of those living in alternative relationships when it comes to giving health benefits to those who are dependent on them. Recently, an employer fired a grandmother whose ill grandchild was her responsibility because she asked for Family Medical Leave and was not granted it because it was not her "child." Legal? Yes according to the law of the land. Moral? You decide. Personally, I am not sure Jesus would have denied health benefits to that grandmother or anyone for that matter. Shouldn't that be a right not tied to employment in the richest country in the world?
I say all this because in recent years, I have witness and sadly, been part of a vitriolic voice within the Church that has castigated "the far left" because of their secularist views. Rarely has the dialogue been kind or productive, because Christians have rolled in the mud to "protect" our culture instead of really offering grace and mercy.
Now I know some of you reading this will be thinking that I think anything goes. I don't. I don't think, however, we can hold unbelievers to our standard, without them really knowing why we believe and Who we believe. We also can not be the mean-spirited people who always need to be right. We need to be a people of grace and mercy.
William Booth taught my particular part of the Church to practice, soup, soap and salvation. He called upon his army of compassion to feed, clean and care. Then he would suggest we can talk about the moral conditions that put a person there.
Believe me, I do get deeply hurt when Christmas is attacked. I have decided not to attack back, but to pray and engage kindly, ushering in the Prince of Peace.
I know that many of my more conservative brothers and sisters will take offense at what has been written here. I want you to know that you are loved and respected. I just think there may be a better way than coming out swinging.
Is this a clash of cultures or the Church becoming so institutionalized that we ignore our mission to protect our rights? Am I less of a Christian or cheapen Christmas, because I occasionally say "Happy Holidays" to some people?
For all of you who believe Merry Christmas. To those who are unsure, Happy Holidays.
Will this clash really matter in eternity?
What do you think?
Recently, I had a deep conversation about saying Merry Christmas. The conversation took place as a result of some recent bad press regarding people not saying Merry Christmas. The discussion with my friend went to the thought of us protecting our rights as Christians. He went on to say that we should fight to keep the holiday from being secularized for the sake of profits. Well, as a Christian I thought about that. I am not sure that I need to protect anything. I am not sure Christ has called me to fight in that way. He has called me to lift Him up as the Prince of Peace during this season. I am not sure that calls upon me to join a pitched battle for the right to say Merry Christmas.
What He does call me to do is to be compassionate, loving and kind. He calls me to do things to better humanity without expecting anything in return. He calls me to love those who disagree with me. He calls me to say "Merry Christmas" with my actions and then share the Gospel as the opportunity arises. I am not sure Jesus will need me to fight His battles. If I read scripture right, He has already won.
That brings me to another point. Much has been made about the fact that the Church has fought against the right of those living in alternative relationships when it comes to giving health benefits to those who are dependent on them. Recently, an employer fired a grandmother whose ill grandchild was her responsibility because she asked for Family Medical Leave and was not granted it because it was not her "child." Legal? Yes according to the law of the land. Moral? You decide. Personally, I am not sure Jesus would have denied health benefits to that grandmother or anyone for that matter. Shouldn't that be a right not tied to employment in the richest country in the world?
I say all this because in recent years, I have witness and sadly, been part of a vitriolic voice within the Church that has castigated "the far left" because of their secularist views. Rarely has the dialogue been kind or productive, because Christians have rolled in the mud to "protect" our culture instead of really offering grace and mercy.
Now I know some of you reading this will be thinking that I think anything goes. I don't. I don't think, however, we can hold unbelievers to our standard, without them really knowing why we believe and Who we believe. We also can not be the mean-spirited people who always need to be right. We need to be a people of grace and mercy.
William Booth taught my particular part of the Church to practice, soup, soap and salvation. He called upon his army of compassion to feed, clean and care. Then he would suggest we can talk about the moral conditions that put a person there.
Believe me, I do get deeply hurt when Christmas is attacked. I have decided not to attack back, but to pray and engage kindly, ushering in the Prince of Peace.
I know that many of my more conservative brothers and sisters will take offense at what has been written here. I want you to know that you are loved and respected. I just think there may be a better way than coming out swinging.
Is this a clash of cultures or the Church becoming so institutionalized that we ignore our mission to protect our rights? Am I less of a Christian or cheapen Christmas, because I occasionally say "Happy Holidays" to some people?
For all of you who believe Merry Christmas. To those who are unsure, Happy Holidays.
Will this clash really matter in eternity?
What do you think?
posted by Larry at 3:56 PM
5 Comments:
I absolutely love your views on this. We are so alike, I LOVE IT. I am realizing this more and more as I become closer with my friends in school. Would Jesus really want us to be fighting with people over something like this? I don't think so. There are far worse things that we should be worried about. I think acting like Jesus in a situation like this would work wayyy better than fighting.
Miss you and love you.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays ;)
Merry Christmas
When the birth of the Prince of Peace was announced and ushered into this world by the angelic army of the peace of heaven, His mission was full defined within peace. It is important to continue promoting peace as believers in the name of Jesus. Frequently that means diffusing the arguements, removing the dynamite of a situation and being protective of all involved.
Promoting behaving like Jesus is much more effective of a testimony than fighting His battles.
You are right - they are battles He has already won.
some one gave me a button a week ago that says " It's ok to wish me Merry Christmas." I wore it all of twenty minutes. I felt so uncomfortable with it. It was funny at first and then I thought...is this really what I want people to see when they look at me? It's like wearing an obnoxious bumber sticker.
I have views on the other side of this too...but enough for now. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
This whole fight over saying “Merry Christmas” just perplexes me. My general greeting during the season has always been “Happy Holidays” because I was taught that ‘holidays’ encompassed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. It wasn’t until I went to college and met my first Jewish friend that I even thought that it could reference other religious holidays – growing up in Newark, OH does not offer many culture diverse lessons. Do I still say ‘Happy Holidays’? Yes because, first, it is a hard habit to break and, second, I think there are bigger things to get our panties in a bunch over – environmental social injustice, abortion, the desensitized nature of young people.
I just sent out my Christmas cards. Our return address says “Happy Holidays from the Cowen-Zanders.” I wonderful how many people will send me a note to set me straight, missing the Christmas message on the card. All I can say is, "Bring it on, bring it on." I need something to sink my teeth into.
Thanks Ladies for your replies. Tawny, you may have hit it on the head. There are more important things. I am not so sure that teens are disinterested in spiritual things. I just think we may be asking the wrong questions the wrong way. Of course, when we pick fights like the one I posted about, then no wonder people would not want to be part of us. Another post will happen probably tomorrow.
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