I’ve probably thought more about Christmas this year than any prior. As I’ve already commented, I have come to a place where the “happy holidays” and “merry Christmas” can both be embraced without any effort at all. When you look at life through a single lens, it’s easy to come to the black and white view many have about most every aspect of life.
I grew up in church. I have been a student of scripture for the past 50 years or so. When you read verses in the Bible like this one you can develop a very closed view of our world:
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. – Luke 14:26
These are words spoken by Jesus (i.e. Red letters). I’ve heard this passage “explained” in many ways and have even “explained” it a few times myself. Then you read another verse like this one:
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. – Mark 12:30-31
How can you love your neighbor and hate your own family? Is that what we are to understand from these two very different quotes of Jesus? I don’t think so, but many use these kinds of verses to belittle the Christian faith; a faith based on the Bible.
But others in the Christian community make the same egregious error by trying to “spiritualize” everything. There is nothing “spiritual” about a decorated tree. Many American denominations put up a Chrismon Tree each year to celebrate Christmas and to spiritualize the most common Christmas tradition.
Others scream with veins popping in anger, “Keep Christ in Christmas!!” I have come to believe it stems from verses like those cited above, where at first glance you assume Christians cannot participate in any secular activity. Those with this mindset quickly remind any naysayers of this:
Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you. – 2 Corinthians 6:17
Yet, Jesus had dinner with “sinners”, talked to women in public (woman at the well), and also claimed to be the Son of God. He didn’t seem to have a problem participating in carnal activities yet did so without sin. This is why the Pharisees had him killed.
So, bringing this back to Christmas, how does a Christian celebrate during this season. We could do like the Jehovah’s Witness tradition calls for, and just pretend there is nothing different than any other day. We could be Scrooge and grumble about the whole thing. We could try to correct everyone’s theology to conform to ours by forcing every aspect of the season to be spiritual. Or we could do as what I believe Jesus would have done, and be salt and light as we go about celebrating this festive time of year. Sing the carols, light the tree, be joyous in giving gifts to others, and be gracious in receiving gifts given to us.
I believe this would go much further in reaching out to others and showing them the “Reason” we have hope and joy. The “Reason” we can laugh and sing in a world that is seemingly darkening by the day. There has never been a greater need for “The Light” as there is today. How will they ever know the Blessed Hope we have in Christ if we do not show them? How will they ever see The Light if we keep it hidden behind our wall of judgement and condemnation?
How about giving it a try? The current approach is clearly not working.
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