Love is the central core of Christian teaching. For us this
love came to be expressed in one of the most wonderful stories of the New
Testament: the nativity. In this simple, yet powerful, story we have been told
how God came to be with us because of God’s great love for us. The story of
God’s sacrificial love for creation (John 3:15-17) is what we in the Christian
tradition call Christmas.
Therefore, as we think about our Christmas celebrations we
need to come to terms with the fact that Christianity decided many years ago to
substitute certain pagan holidays in the Roman Empire, and in northern Europe,
with the celebration of Jesus’ birth. In that process many of the pagan’s
observances found their way into our celebration of the birth of Christ, and I
have no problem with that because that is part of the human experience (i.e.,
Christmas trees, ornaments, etc.). But we, the Christians of the 21st
Century, who have inherited this observance have forgotten that faith in the
living Christ is not a cultural celebration but rather a life gripping
commitment to live, be, and do like Jesus Christ. We
do not get extra points on the proverbial “eternal crown” by being faithful
observers of the Christmas holiday (or any holiday for that matter); we get our
crowns by being faithful disciples of him who gave his life for us.
For the past 80 years we have been hearing people talk about
putting Christ back into Christmas and as great as that sounds we must be wise
about its meaning. What does it mean to put Christ back in Christmas? How many
of us honor Jesus life and teachings during this season?
A season that should be one of the highest holidays of
Christendom has become just a mere commercial enterprise where the only vestige
of Christ left is in the name for the season: Christmas. At this point, of
course, we start blaming the atheist, the secularist, the liberals, (media,
pastors, politicians, etc.), store owners, and anyone else that we think has
anything to do with the co-opting of the holiday. However, at the heart of the
matter in this cultural war, which by the way we won centuries ago, is the fact
that, if we really feel strongly about this high holiday it would show through
our actions, through our way of being, through our commitments, through our
love for each other, and not just for those who are like us, or those who think
like us, but for everyone whom God loves. The Christmas story, and its
observance, is not simply a way for us to remember Jesus’ birthday, but rather,
the story of Christmas is a narrative that helps us realize what God has done
for us, and what it means to be imitators of God in Jesus the Christ.
Do not be confused, I love Christmas. I love seeing the
faces of my children, and all children for that matter, when they open their
presents and play with their new things (toys, books, or other things). We have
to come to terms with the fact that the Christmas celebration around the world has
very little to do with Christ in our present celebration. Therefore, we have to
come to terms with the fact that many people celebrate the season without any
connection to Christ, for many people is
just one more nice justification to celebrate family, and community, which is
fine; but it is nothing more!
However, for us, the followers of Jesus the Christ, the
calling is different. We must teach our children that the reason for our
celebration of Christmas is not the gifts we receive, since that is something
we can do at any other time. We, the followers of Jesus the Christ, must teach
the world that our celebration is to remember that God’s gift to the world in
Jesus Christ is our reason for our joy and celebration. Christmas is a time to
help the world believe in the one who is our savior, and our redeemer. And we
do not do this by imposing our beliefs on others but by living out our faith in
the living Christ. A faith that is manifested, as John Wesley reminds us in the
General Rules of the Methodist Societies, by the way we treat each other, by
the care we give each other.
It
is therefore expected of all who continue [within these societies] that they
should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,
First:
By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind . . . ;
Secondly:
By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have
opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to
all...:
To
their bodies, of the ability which God giveth, by giving food to the hungry, by
clothing the naked, by visiting or helping them that are sick or in prison.
To
their souls, by instructing, reproving, or exhorting all we have any [interaction]
with
Thirdly:
By attending upon all the ordinances of God…
Living as Christians during Christmas is not simply a
celebration but rather it is about showing to the world that what we believe,
what we proclaim to be true, makes a difference in the world. If we truly do no
harm, if we truly do all the good we can to every one we can, we really live the
Christian way. Let us show to the world the Christ that has been born in us so
that the world may believe in the gift that God has brought through Jesus’ life,
death, and resurrection.
No comments:
Post a Comment