merry christmas

i've been reading a lot lately about 'keeping christ in christmas'. this has been more on a political level and a boycott level and less on a personal level (boycott walmart until they say 'merry christmas'. or, the atheists are winning the war on secularizing christmas). for quite some time now i've been wrestling with christmas as a christian and as an american. it seems more like a cultural holiday than it does a christian one. i celebrate christ's birth...but my culture doesn't. i believe my culture celebrates money during the christmas season. oh i've heard the story of how we want to give gifts like the wisemen did. but is that our foundation for the practice? please, i've done my history and i won't give a lesson the origin of the christmas holiday here. check out rick mckinley's, imgo dei podcast for a great lesson in the advent season regarding challenging the consumer approach to christmas. i've read some posts this season from people who are extremely concerned that in 10 years, christmas will be a 'minor' holiday. i believe the real fear is that the christian aspect of christmas will become marginalized.

i write this, not out of arrogance..."im right and they're (those fighting to keep christ in christmas) wrong", but out of opinion. i concede already that i may very well be wrong. however...christmas will never become a minor holiday in my opinion. there is too much money to be had in it. our consumerist principalities would never allow it. the world doesn't celebrate christmas as jesus' birth. the common folk celebrate it as a time to give gifts and try to muster some sort of 'spirit' of generosity (either in gifts or forgiving or getting together with family, etc.). meanwhile, those who make money off of it celebrate it as...well...a time to make money.

jesus doesn't need the world to celebrate his birthday once a year. he doesn't need the world (or america) to celebrate his resurrection once a year. he doesn't need the world to celebrate his ascension once a year, or pentecost, or any other christian holiday. celebrating his life everyday is another matter. i happen to believe (because of how i interpret the hebrew scriptures and new testament) that the entire world will one day celebrate jesus.

do we really believe the big bad atheists will 'win' if christmas is officially celeberated as a western society holiday as opposed to a christian holiday (i would argue it already is...ie: the consumerist approach)? why should we expect non christians keep christ in christmas? you want to say merry christmas? then say it. i don't think that means anything to anyone who doesn't know christ. i don't walk around on sundays asking walmart employees why they haven't said...'good sabbath to you sir' instead of 'good day'. i don't expect our culture to celebrate 'christian' holidays because our culture isn't christian. however, society can never do away with the term 'merry christmas' if christians continue to use the term and greeting regardless of whether walmart uses it or not. maybe instead of chanting 'keep christ in christmas' we should be practicing keep ourselves and our christmas celebration in christ.

i don't believe i'll disciple someone or be used by the holy spirit to love someone because christmas is celebrated as a christian holiday in america. i'll disiciple and love because that's what i do. jesus doesn't need christmas. he needs christians.

my humble opinion, and i could be wrong.

merry christmas

(or in contemporary language...may you fully participate in the celebration of the coming of God in the form of a human being)

for more on how we could keep ourselves in christ during advent, check out this article written by Rev. Dcn. Raphael K. Barberg.