Let Them Eat Christmas Cake
Now that I own a car, I can make several free trips to and from the town where I grew up, that is free of the guilt of asking for a ride and free to travel whenever I wish. On my most recent trip, which involved the beginnings of helping my brother with home renovations, I got an unexpected theological awakening. I decided to stop in town and pick up a few things, food for me and gifts for others. In town I ran into the guy who runs the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) office. Not too long ago, I worked with him, and others, to put together the history play that I wrote. He was discussing with me the content of his most recent program on the local Low German radio station. In it, he applauded the local culture in their embracing of celebrating Christmas. He used the story of Paul in Athens, where he complimented them on their very religious nature, and began his "sermon" by discussing their monument to the "unknown god".

It caught me off guard to hear him discussing mainstream Christmas celebrations in a positive light, when I, and others like me, are so adamant about the commercialization of the holiday, and how it's being ruined. He didn't deny the problems, nor did he suggest we should all embrace it in the same manner, he just acknowledged that our negative response is a lousy way to celebrate our holiday.

It hit me. This is our holiday! Why are we (Christians) moping around about how it has been ruined by mainstream culture? We still get a day or two off to celebrate it, and everyone acknowledges it as a holiday. We really should celebrate the holiday with joy. And when we tell other people about the holiday, we should be joyful about that too. Why should we always be ragging on people for wrecking our holiday? If we're the miserable ones, we've wrecked the holiday, not them! History will also show the heavy use of pagan rituals and celebrations that went into the celebration of Christmas. We stole this holiday from Saturn, and nobody tells us to put the solstice back in the holiday. Jesus wasn't born in December, there was no snow, and St. Nicholas wanted to keep his gift giving anonymous. Why should we criticize people for committing a sin that we ourselves perpetuate?

Wherever your Christmas plans take you this week, I would like to pass along a heartfelt "Merry Christmas" to you all, as well as the words of a heartwarming young boy, "God bless us, every one!"

   [ posted by William @ 1:27 AM ]