Keep Christ in Christmas II

Last year, I posted an entry commenting on the efforts made by people and corporations in our country to take Jesus Christ - the reason we celebrate - out of the Christmas holiday. I will admit that a couple of my statements were unnecessarily provocational and took too much stock in information that wasn't entirely accurate. I wrote that post in an inspired mental state, having just listened to Dr. James Dobson comment about the situation on his radio show "Focus on the Family." It made me angry to hear the lengths to which people were going to remove Christ from Christmas in the name of political correctness. And the more I think about it, the more that I wonder just how much those same people believe personally in the value of PC. Are the reasons they give - equality and tolerance - truly valid? Or is it that they can't stand to watch people enjoy something that they themselves can't understand? And if that really is the case - attacking Christmas to bring some sense of clarity to the celebration - then what does that say about us Christians? Shouldn't we be doing more loving and service than "soap-boxing?"

What's made me consider this is the increasing amount of stories I'm hearing about Christian groups threatening to boycott stores like Wal-Mart and Target. Their reasons? The retailers have apparantly been naming their trees "holiday trees" instead of "Christmas trees," and gone with the seasonal mantra of "Happy Holidays," rather than "Merry Christmas." Now I myself don't see the problem with wishing somebody a Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings. But, apparantly by their thinking, I'm shutting out the true meaning of Christmas when I do that. What standard makes that accurate? To be quite honest, I'd be a little more worried about my heart if I was spending my time blindly slamming retailers than letting the Holy Spirit direct my activities. I'm not saying there isn't a time to be confrontational. Peter and John had to confront the Sanhedrin council, but they did so "filled with the Holy Spirit." And they had a lot more reason to act than over a retailer's label. But they, and the first followers of the early church, spent the majority of their time leading. Reaching out. Learning. Praying. Not being "know-it-alls."

Frankly, I think the idea of boycotting an entire store over a questionable slogan is rather foolish. It's almost like refusing to buy groceries from Publix just because they sell Buttermilk, which I don't like. Am I not going to shop there because of that? Of course not. A grocery store conventiently located one mile up the road from Furman? If a product or a slogan was my sole reason for driving someplace else out of my way to stock up on goods and survival stuff, then I think I'd need to seriously re-think a few things. I don't even know if that slogan is endorsed by every single cashier who works there. It's not like the people who actually stand behind the registers and slide goods across the scanner to ring up our purchases are consulted on such matters. I would at least want to learn more information about the inner workings of a store before making the bold move to cease going there. Slogan or no slogan, if I had a fever and Publix was the only store around with Motrin, I'd be up there in a minute's time.

The point behind this long-winded editorial is, I feel that we as Christians need to be focused on actually sharing and ministering about the reason that we celebrate Christmas. We might reach more people or at least persuade more people to listen if we don't come off as trying to make a sales pitch or weasel Christ into a purely business corner. Jesus wasn't about giving financial tips or trying to instigate mass protests. He showed what it was really about through His actions. He was patient with people (despite the overwhelming evidence of who he was), and He acted out of unconditional love (not petty gain or status), lowering himself to a servant's status. He let people whip, beat, ridicule, and spit on Him while bearing their burdens on a cross. He died so that they, and we, would not have to. That was the depth of the love of Christ. It is a sacrificial love that I know I need to do a better job of emulating. And we would all do well to act likewise. If only to bend one more ear. To make ourselves heard.