The "Happy Holidays" War

Riley, Ian, and Hayden are all out playing in the snow. Daddy is about to join them. Clayton is drawing in his room. The sun is peaking out of the clouds and lighting up the snow. My coffee is hot. It all helps take the edge of a morning headache. I’m enjoying the quiet to reflect and think through something I’ve been wanting to address for a while.

Merry Christmas. To me that phrase is one that brings me cheer and brightens my mood. To some it has no meaning at all because Christmas is of no significance to them. To some it has become fighting words - like those shouted in a debate. It is the comeback for “Happy Holidays.”

I’ve been increasingly disturbed this year at the amount energy my brothers and sisters in Christ have poured into fighting for a phrase. Songs have been written, videos made, sermons preached… Now lest you think I’ve forgotten the reason for the season, let’s look at some facts.

*Jesus wasn’t born on December 25...probably no time close. Historians believe it was sometime in the spring, gauging the time of year when Shepherds actually spent the night in the field with their sheep. The date, December 25 was originally a holiday in Rome for the sun god and about the time Constantine was converted to Christianity, the holiday became more of the holiday for the God of the Christians…moving from the original celebration in early January. In other words, the date isn’t significant. It is a tradition, coming from debatably pagan roots.

*Jesus never asked us to remember his birth. He asked us to remember His death. Is it wrong to remember His birth? I don’t think so. It was the fulfillment of a promise, of prophecy. It gave hope, and still does. It reminds us of why He came. But really, what are Christians more likely to make a hub-bub over. Easter? Or Christmas? Compare the amount of time you spend preparing for each. Compare the amount of money and resources you pour into the preparation of each. Compare the amount of time you spend sending greetings and emphasizing the message of the day.

Those who fight for the meaning of Christmas, would be wiser to fight for it in their homes and families than on the streets and over air waves. We fight to hold on to the phrase “Merry Christmas!”, but we still litter our lawns with penguins and snowmen and elves with lollipops. Is there anything wrong with those? No. St. Nicholas was a real person, a religious man, who became a figure in history because of his generosity to the poor. It isn’t wrong to remember him. It isn’t wrong to remember all things wintery and snowy. But what are we really fighting for? The holiday as we’ve come to treat it? Or the remembrance of Christ. Jesus? Or our flawed religion?

If we are fighting for the remembrance of Christ, then how do we do that? Do we yell words and boycott stores? Do we incite debates and mock those who don’t believe as we do? Are we upset about Christ being forgotten or that the face of our nation is changing? Truth is: not everyone does celebrate Christmas. Truth is: there are many other holidays during this time of the year that we as Christians (and others who are not) do celebrate. Are we upset that we can no longer assume that everyone around us believes as we do? Do we demand that because they all live in the good ‘ol U.S. that they must celebrate our holiday? Would you bend to Ramadan if you lived in Iraq? Is fighting over how to greet us going to change their hearts about Christ?

As I’ve thought and thought over this, I’m reminded of the person and character of Christ. Even if we think we are fighting for the remembrance of Jesus, what would He do? He didn’t ever fight for Himself. Why do we? He never did anything outside the will of His father. His mission on earth was to fight for us - to fight for the lost. To do whatever it took, to the laying down of His life to win the hearts and souls of those without Him. Shouldn’t our mission be the same? Are we really worried that God cannot protect His own reputation? Are we really concerned that Jesus needs us to fight for something he never asked us to fight for?

What if! What if? What if we changed our goal? What if we changed our motive - to fight for those around us! To fight for the lost, for those in bondage, for those lost in their sin, for those in chains to a cult, for those who don’t understand or grasp truth! What if we were simply kind to our checker and inquired about her day and identified with her? What if we did something special for our school officials? What if we took a plate of cookies to our neighbors with an ornament that really shared who Jesus was? What if we began to ask God how to fight for those around us and begin to wage war for their souls - remembering that they are not our enemy? They are not the object of our frustration, but the enemy who has captured their minds and stolen their hearts.

Lest you think I’m anti-Christmas, I’m not. I enjoy remembering a long-awaited promise being fulfilled. The promises I hope for in my own life are but a shadow to help me identify with a people who had waited thousands of years for their promise - their Messiah - a people who hadn’t even heard from their God in over 400 years. I’m touched by the simplicity of Christ’s birth and what God becoming flesh means for my life - my Savior! But this year, I left almost all our decorations put away. I didn’t see the point. If I want my family to remember Jesus, then should I fix their eyes on over-spending? Should I allow them to concentrate on what they might be *getting*? Should I distract them with countless knick-knacks that really say “It’s winter!” rather than saying, “Let’s remember Jesus!” Do we really believe what we say? Do we even understand our own message? Or do we just blindly get caught up in a movement.

This goes way beyond Christmas, but stirs us up uncomfortably throughout the year. If our goal is to fight for the muslims, the homosexuals, and the atheists, how would our perspective change? How would our methods change? How different could our world be by next Christmas if each and every Christ-follower became more concerned with the motives, methods, and message of Christ than protecting the traditions began by a Roman emporer? What if we truly embraced Who HE is and what He wants for others.

It would be wiser for those of us who claim Christianity to throw aside any concerns of fighting for our religion - to demand that the world respect us and our beliefs, to demand that our sacred Scriptures be left on the halls of courthouses and demand that our nativity scenes be left on the lawns of city halls - and begin to fight for the things Jesus fought for 2,000 years ago: the souls of men! He is still fighting for them today. Win the souls, and there is no need to fight for the religion. Fight for the religion, and never win the souls.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, AND Happy Holidays! - after all that means Holy days, does it not?
Love, Ang
Colossians 2:16-17