I hate writing this so close to Christmas. I am not a religious man, but Christmas is a time that gives me warm and fuzzy feelings, nonetheless. It is a time when I come home to Richmond to be with my family and to celebrate an event I know best as told in the Gospel according to Luke, King James Version.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
It is such a cute scene, no? I used to know the story almost well enough to recite it like that. From my youngest days I found those words of peace and good will beautiful and imagined Christmas was, somehow, a day when all the world was at peace. That was before I learned that not all on earth were Christians, of course.
Still, the Christmas season really did seem like a time when people were nicer and friendlier. Not so much, anymore. Now there’s a “War on Christmas!” Except this war is surreal and bizarre. Because who has declared this war? Who is the enemy? The answer, obviously, is the people who want to take “Christ out of Christmas.”
But who are they? Every once in a while there is a disagreement over whether a nativity scene can go on town property, or if the mall should have a menora in addition to the Christmas tree. (One year when Christmas fell close to Eid, a mall in Binghamton had a crescent moon as well. This seemed quite welcoming to the Muslim exchange students I knew on campus.)
These, however, are not skirmishes in a war. They are legitimate debates between members of the citizenry of this nation over the use of public space and the notion of separation of church and state. Talk Radio blow-hards and TV news personalities, however, get all fired up and shoot insults, followed by reckless insults and charges based totally on hearsay. It is all part of the “fight to keep Christ in Christmas” and all is fair in love and war.
So how do you take (Christ) our of (Christ)mas? It literally is not possible. Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrated by millions all over the world, by Christians in Palestine, France, Brazil, South Africa, the United States, Lebanon…. If you are celebrating Christmas, Christ is a part of the holiday. Do we really need to be reminded?
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It seems unnecessary. I recall when, at a certain point in my adolescence, people started wishing one another Happy Holidays. Folks just became aware that Christmas, New Years, Hanukkah, Winter’s Solstice, and some years even the Muslim holiday of the Eid fall around the time. Plus everybody just has winter break. “Season’s Greetings” and “Happy Holidays” where simply nice, magnanimous greetings to share the joys of the season with everyone.
Now, though, it is a point of contention whether someone says Merry Christmas or not. Jesus said “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,” (John 6:44). He didn’t say, not “unless a Wal-Mart or Macy’s employee calls him.” My reading of the gospels leads me to believe that Jesus would be shocked by the commercialization of Christmas. Remember that Jesus who drover the money-changers out of the temple in Jerusalem.
What would Jesus say about the things we pile up each year around this time.
19″Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20″But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
The most frequently quoted passage from the Bible is probably Matthew 6: 9-13, The Lord’s Prayer. It is, after all, the way that Jesus said Christians are to pray. But there are many more verses to Matthew 6 and they are quite a challenge. There is a lot of ostentatious giving and charity that takes place over Christmas. It is a good time of year for charity, but
1″Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 But when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
The thing to remember is that the folks at the Mall, Macy’s, Wal-Mart, Saks, or wherever are going to wish you Happy-Merry-Joyous-or whatever you want them to if it gets you in the door and gets you buying stuff. Remember, too, that Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and all those other Fox News infotainment personalities make money if you get fired up and watch their show so that they can sell to advertisers.
No one has declared war on Christmas! So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!