Christmas Under Attack

It's Christmas time once again. And what's Christmas without some good, old-fashioned complaining? You know the ones -- dedicated Christians who are appalled by the treatment of Christian by our society, or those special Christians who are offended by Christmas's pagan connections. Look around a little, and you'll likely find both. I'm not sure I get it, and on several levels.

Hard as it is to imagine, the Christian celebration we call "Christmas" is not in the Bible. Oh, I know, the birth of Christ is in the Bible, and all that is incorporated in that, but the command for such a celebration isn't there. We are told the celebrate His death and resurrection which we do in the Lord's Supper. But I can't find a single command to celebrate His birth. How odd! So ... why are we so upset about it?

Jesus told His disciples, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18). Paul said, "The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God" (Rom 8:7). And we Christians are offended when we find out that the world is hostile to us and our beliefs. I would say, with Peter, "Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you as though some strange thing were happening to you" (1 Peter 4:12). In all honesty, the fact that they put "XMAS" rather than "Christmas" on their signs barely qualifies as a "fiery ordeal". The fact that some businesses won't allow "Merry Christmas" isn't really something I'd call "persecution". And while, logically, I think it's nonsense that the ACLU works to remove all Nativity displays from public arenas, that really can't be considered inhumane, can it? I don't get it when Christians complain that Christmas is under attack because we were promised that the world would hate us just as they hate our Lord. Surprise! He was right.

Then, of course, there is the simple yet painful fact that we are often just like the ones about whom we are complaining. "They aren't celebrating Christmas!!" Well, are we? What part does an evergreen tree that is brought into a home and is decorated with lights and colourful ornaments have to do with celebrating the birth of Christ? Don't misunderstand; I'm not saying it can't have anything to do with Christ. I'm simply asking what most Christians think of such a tree? How about gift-giving? How is that a celebration of Christ's birth? (To illustrate, try this. At your next birthday celebration, make sure that you celebrate by having everyone give gifts ... to everyone else, ignoring you completely.) We are just as guilty as "they" when it comes to greed, ignoring Christ, and inaccurate "Christmas". Take, for instance, the standard Nativity. It always includes three wise men or kings. Why three? Well, our Bibles don't list three; they list three types of gifts. And what are they doing there? Biblically, they didn't arrive until later -- perhaps up to two years later -- and they weren't at the manger. (See Matt. 2:11 -- they entered the house.) So how accurate are we with our Nativity scenes? Indeed, almost everyone knows that Christ wasn't actually born in December. (Shepherds in Palestine don't have their sheep out in the winter.) So we're ignoring accuracy and succumbing to the worldly "Christmas" about which we are complaining.

I'm just as disturbed about the complainers of pagan origins. But what really disturbs me is the Christian propensity to be upset about things that, to me, shouldn't upset us at all. So, here's my Christmas wish for you all: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful" (Col 3:15).