Killing Christmas? It’s Nothing New
Every year, the hubub between the anti-Christmas folks and the pro-Christmas folks gets more heated. This year, it has reached a fever pitch. I wrote a bit about it last year, and I thought I might add a thought this year.
Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yes, we celebrate during the wrong time of year. Yes, the date was chosen to pre-empt a pagan celebration. No, everyone does not believe in God, or that Jesus is an aspect of God given an existence of flesh to complete a divine task. Antagonism toward those who do not believe, however, is not the way Jesus would want us to spend the season of celebration.
Jesus was born an outcast. There being a major influx of people into the town of Bethlehem at hs birth, there was no space available for Mary and Joseph to stay, and for Jesus to be born. The inns were full. Private homes, which often had guest rooms, were full. Undoubtedly, the spaces available for travelers were holding far more people than they were designed for.
Word of the impending birth of a messiah-child reached the King, who had no need for an upstart usurper to his crown. He set out to have Jesus killed. If there ever was an attempt to kill Christmas, it was through this act of Satan through the king.
Today, we’re merely faced with unbelievers who dislike being asked to acknowledge what they see as a fictional character. Facing the day with incomplete information and a belief that the day is based in fiction, I can’t say I blame them for not wanting to say “Merry Christmas.” The answer is not to respond with hate, but with love.
I feel pity for those who do not believe. I can see what a personal relationship with Jesus Christ has done in my life, and the lives of my friends and family. It hasn’t been easy, as I watched those things I thought I wanted be put aside by my King to be replaced with greater opportunities and benefits. My own wants were leading me nowhere, while God had a greater plan for my life. I must celebrate the birth of the King that has taken me in and given me the benefit of his leadership.
I’ve had to give up things I thought were great. I thought I had a great opportunity in my business. I thought I had a car I loved. I thought I had some good friends. I’ve had to give up the business, the car, and some friends. Doing so has resulted in greater benefits. I now have a greater income, with more available time to spend with my family. My car has been replaced by a much more enjoyable one, which requires little daily maintenance. My former friends have been replaced and multiplied, with others who I respect more, and who are not sources of constant opposition. As a result, my work ethic is greater than ever before, I have more time to spend with my friends and family, my income has risen, my respect among my peers has grown, and I have some truly fine friends like none I’ve known before. I don’t begrudge my old business. I don’t miss my old car. I pray for my former friends.
When I encounter an anti-Christmas or anti-Christ individual, I don’t jump in and argue. I smile, and let it go. I pray for them, that they can come to know the Lord that I know. I pray that they will change in their heart. I pray for their prosperity. One particular former friend has apparently spent a considerable amount of energy wishing me ill. What he might not know is that I’ve been praying for his success.
That, I believe, is what Jesus wants me to do. Knowing what Jesus has meant in my life, I can do nothing less than celebrate his birth, his life, his death as a sacrificial lamb to absolve me of my sins, and his resurrection that proved his victory over Satan and death.
Merry Christmas.
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