Keeping Christ in Christ...ian
The following post was written in 2015. It is Still true. And it is perfect to share on this Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday.
This past weekend at my monthly Army Reserve battle assembly, I was saying goodbye to fellow soldiers and wishing them “Happy Holidays”. One soldier jokingly, yet sternly replied, “It’s Merry CHRISTmas sir!”
Oh yes. I know. Jesus is the reason for the season. At least for me, He is. And I really get into it. I love Advent and Christmas time! It is two of my favorite seasons on the church calendar. Preaching on the themes of advent and the incarnation – or God becoming flesh and coming to be with us, fills my heart with joy.
Hanging lights up on the house is symbolic for me. As I spent time (like 3 weeks) untangling the lights, stringing the trees, tracing the roof line, and running power cords all over the yard – my mind was fixed with the words in the Gospel of John,
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (v. 4-5)
There is a method to my decorating madness. It may just be a house to “oooh and ahhhh” at for families driving through the neighborhood, but for me, those lights are a vivid reminder of the beauty of light in the darkness. Perhaps other people think the same thing, but I am sure for many others, seeing my lights does not equate to a life changing religious experience.
You see, there is no possible way that I can force the joy of the light of Christ upon anyone. Joy is not something that we can force upon other people.
The Good News of Jesus birth and ultimate death and resurrection is not a message to be forced on people.
Ever heard of the Crusades?
Yeah. Not a bright spot in the history of Christianity.
Every year there are memes going around on Facebook like the one below.
I can’t help but ask: Who is being told they can’t say Merry Christmas?
I mean honestly?
Taking down a manger scene at the courthouse is not an attack on your faith and right to believe that Jesus is the reason for the season.
The cashier at the store wishing you happy holidays is not an attack on your faith and right to believe.
It just isn’t.
It is simply coming to terms that we live in country where people are free to worship whatever god they choose or even live as if there is no god.
I am fine with that.
If someone wishing you “happy holidays” is an attack on your faith, then I would dare suggest that we take a step back for some much needed perspective.
While Christians in America are occupied with protecting “Christmas”, Christians in other parts of the world where it is actually illegal to be a Christian are growing in numbers much faster than the American church.
And it’s not because “Merry Christmas” is the official greeting of the holiday season.
The cries and the claims of persecution and mistreatment of Christians in America really needs to stop.
The story of Jesus’ birth should clue us in to the reality of what to expect in this world as followers of Jesus.
God quietly slipped into this world. His own people were unaware of his arrival. There was no red carpet rolled out for Mary and Joseph when they entered Bethlehem. On the night of his birth, the lowest of the low, shepherds, were the only ones to greet and worship the new born king. No special accommodations were made for Jesus and his family, and that is just the way He planned it. It was not by accident that a feeding trough was only place to lay the little Lord Jesus.
Keeping Christ in Christmas has more to do with how we live, than it has to do with how other people live.
I don’t need everyone to hear me say I’m a Christian but I need everyone to see Christ in me. – Nishan Panwar
Some Christians just don’t exude a lot of joy this time of year – or any part of the year for that matter (and I certainly have a part in that).
We forget that Christ promised to exalt the humble – not the powerful – not the majority – not the ones in charge – not the ones calling the shots.
Keeping Christ in Christmas means doing what a growing number of Christians are already doing – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick, visiting the imprisoned, defending the defenseless, and taking care of the widows and orphans – among many other things.
Lets be honest. We are the ones who take Christ out of Christmas.
Joy is infectious. It is not forced.
May our lives be something beautiful. May our lives be like light that shines in the darkness.
May we live in such a way that gives people a reason to believe that Jesus is the reason for the season.
Whatever you are celebrating this year, may it bring you peace and joy to you, and yours.