It is amazing that a nation could twist holidays from a spirit of thankfulness and generosity to a mindset of gluttony and greed.
Astonishment would have reigned in the hearts of the early settlers and pilgrims of the New World had they known that Thanksgiving, a holiday conceived in the midst of trial and starvation for the purpose of remembering the providence of God, would be changed into a day of slothfulness and over-eating.
Disgust would have been the primary reaction of those tested people if they had heard that their posterity would not observe Christmas as a time to gather peacefully with family in the mindset of awe in regards to the selflessness of the Creator, but instead that their children would change this season to a hectic rush to buy and get in line before others. The hope of Christmas is no longer the restoration of mankind, but that your kin and company would observe even the most minute details of your wishlist.
The practice of Christmas used to be generous with the recognition that Christ is generous. Now the practice of Christmas is that after the turkey loses its head, you can lose yours.
But can Christians really complain about the “heathens” changing the Baby and the Manger to Santa and his Sleigh? Do we have the right to be angry when people say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” when we say “What do I want?” instead of “Look at what He has given?”
Certainly it is ludicrous for the “Politically Correct States of America” to demand the name “Winter Tree” to be bestowed on what everyone knows is a Christmas Tree, but does it really matter if they try to take away Christmas? Is that the real issue?
Christians in Rome were burned at the stake for nocturnal illumination and they said “Let it be so.” The Apostle Paul was imprisoned and chained to four guards in shifts for 24 hours a day, and he blest God for his captive audience of the soldiers. Christ Himself was falsely accused of treason, spat upon, beaten unjustly, and nailed to a tree all because of the hypocritical Pharisees and their jealousy, and He said “forgive them, for they know not what they do.” But we American Christians are persecuted above all because of the authorities and their intolerance of our practices, and we say “how dare you.” What penalty is there for saying “Merry Christmas,” anyways? The most severe punishment that comes to mind for greeting someone traditionally is a talk with one’s principle, but this retribution is strictly limited to schools. Jews were incinerated just because they were Jewish. James (according to Church tradition) was thrown out of the temple window, stoned, and then had his skull caved in with a club, just because he said that he loved Jesus. Paul was stoned (arguably to death), and yet he still ministered to those who had stoned him.
The important thing is not whether Non-Christians are respectful of Christmas or not, but whether they know that they are going to Hell because of their unbelief. Should we really be having meaningless debates on tolerance with intolerant people? Our goal should not be to win the argument on the issue of prejudice, but to win over mankind to Christ.
Even aside from this point we cannot truly and justly take offense towards non-Christians who wish to remove Christmas from the calendar, as we ourselves have fallen into sapping every ounce of meaning out of Christmas. Granted, families still sit down and read the Christmas stories, go to Christmas concerts instead of the movies, and put up their nativity in a viewable location. But is that what God wants? In the Old Testament God explicitly said that He was sick of His people’s lip service. He said that He didn’t want their sacrifices anymore, because their sacrifices were coming from a people with an unloving heart.
How we treat Christmas draws resemblance to the passage in Romans which states “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” We demand the right to say “Merry Christmas,” but from what ideal does that fountain spring? Do we honestly desire to keep Christ the centre of the holiday season? From observance of holiday shoppers it is easily deduced that this season has taken the form of hecticism, not of generosity. Christ is not glorified when His children are caught up in petty squabbles of price, or when we become angry at fellow shoppers. If we truly want to keep Christ in Christmas, then we ought to show His love daily instead of honoring Him with our lips after the presents are opened and the cookies are eaten.
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