Nailed To the Door
120211
“It’s beginning to look a lot like -----.”
Yeah, here we go again. The “silly season” continues!
Now we’re closing in on “the day.” That’s Christmas Day.
You know, Constantine’s favorite day. The pagan biggy. The day of the “invincible sun.”
I guess what really bothers me – besides the crass commercialism and “good will towards me,” thing, is that it would not have been real hard to pick a day closer to when Jesus was really born.
Shepherds do not watch their flock in the field at night in the middle of winter. Ok, sane shepherds don’t. It’s not good for them and it’s not good for the sheep.
I’m not utterly anti-xmass. To celebrate the nativity isn’t a bad thing. But is that what we really do? I don’t think so. It seems that if you graft something from the sculptures onto pagan roots, the pagan roots win out.
Oh, wait. It’s kind of like declaring “Reformation Day” to cover Halloween.
Friends, a veneer of Jesus slopped onto a pagan or civil celebration day just cheapens Jesus. It does not improve or change the real significance of the day. It’s like an air freshener. It works for a while but if the source of the stink remains, the stink returns. Or, as I think Marin Luther would repeat, “A golden plated turd is still a turd.”
It’s funny. We did Christmas to cover the pagan celebration. Judaism did Hanukkah to cover Christmas and they both show signs of pagan influence.
On the day that we celebrate the nativity what do we do? We engage in the gift giving Olympics. Oh, we do give to others but why do we give? Do we give to recognize God’s gift to us? Maybe----maybe. But mostly we give because if we don’t folks will be disappointed or even angry.
Take the two icons of the season. It’s a Wonderful Life and Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – oh boy they’re really biblical!! Or take, A Christmas Story. You know the one about a Red Rider BB gun. Wow it’s closer to reality than the other two but “iconic?” Christian?
I guess, not having a right conscience about this “day,” I am not really able to understand other believers being able to have a right conscience about this day. Or perhaps, loving the Puritans as I do I understand their banning Christmas from the calendar because its celebration had so little to do with, well, Christ.
What if – all believers everywhere - decided that as God gave us a great gift in His son we, in mimicking Him, were going to give gifts to men. No trees, not decorations and not gifts to family and friends. But a no hold barred, squeeze the nickel till the Buffalo screams, giving extravaganza to those in our community who have real needs – food, clothing, etc.
No toys, gadgets or gizmos but coats, food, medicine, car repair, rent – you know, stuff folks need! Ah, but pagans do that too – wow, what if we did that together?
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: (A) to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and (B) to keep oneself unstained from the world. (Jas 1:27)
If you’re going to do that at all, how’s that for a Xmas mandate? Tricky isn’t it? A lot of us kind of do (A) but (B), not so much.
Look, the call is for discernment. Let us each, in the light of Scripture, the guidance of the Spirit and the effort of reason look closely at what we are doing and how we are doing it.\
I don’t do Christmas. I’m not a Scrooge but I’m called one. I don’t condemn anyone that does the xmas thing but they act like I do. I don’t feel I’m better for my position but to do xmas feels like it would make me less.
And please, don’t throw the kids at me. Wanting children of believers to not feel “different” seems a little, well, “off” to me. Please don’t throw tradition at me – I could share some traditions that make your hair curl.
It just seems to me that this is the one season of the year when believers make an effort to really be more of the world than just in it. By buying into the “spirit of the season” we are buying into the world.
And please --- please --- if one of your reasons for taking part in this silly season if that it is “expected,” please reflect on whose expectations you’re surrendering to.
No comments:
Post a Comment