Of
course there is endless frustration among Christians regarding all of those
greetings that don’t contain the Christmas tag. Some will even go out of their
way to frequent those businesses that are explicit in their
Christmas-celebrating, because that is the reason for the season (after all). We
all make choices about where we shop for various reasons, so I suppose there
are worse reasons for choosing one business over another than their holiday
greetings. I’m just skeptical that the best way of keeping Christ in Christmas
is words said at a cash register by an underpaid, overworked person who
represents the customer service side of some large, faceless corporation.
So,
rather than focus on things that probably don’t matter much (i.e., your
religion is not being oppressed if somebody wishes you happy holidays or, for
that matter, a blessed Kwanzaa), I’m going to offer five ways that we can keep
Christ in Christmas in a meaningful way. Now, whether you gift these ways
forward or throw them away with the wrappings is completely up to you.
1. Give generously. I’m not just talking about putting change in Salvation Army buckets, rounding up at the register for a good cause or giving a $50 gift instead of $20. All of that can be nice, but even better is giving in an unexpected way. Ask yourself: What does extravagant giving look like apart from a price tag?
2. Give your time. This follows logically from the first. During this time of the year when everybody feels frazzled few think they can handle giving their time to any cause—worthy or not. Do it anyway.
3. Find a devotional practice. Let’s face it, you’ll tell yourself to start a practice like this after the holidays, and whether it’s an explicitly Christian practice or something less explicit like exercising or eating right, you’re probably going to fail at it, because New Years’ Resolutions last, on average, about two weeks. A better time to start a practice is when things are at their most stressful because devotional practices exist with the purpose of keeping you focused when life is busy and challenging. I realize this sounds counter-intuitive, but Martin Luther was on to something when he said, “I have so many things to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
4. The only perfect person is Jesus. Which means that you are not. Which means that your Christmas dinner will not be perfect, nor your choice of gifts, nor the stockings, nor anything else you do in this season. The first Christmas featured kings bowing before a baby. That’s the kind of humility we need in the face of divine.
5. Be kind. This should flow naturally from the ones above, but, surprisingly, it often doesn’t. I realize that Jesus said and did things that were brash and direct and flaunted his authority and power. You are not Jesus. And, while the Christian life is about more than being nice, all evangelism and mission done in the world is predicated on being in a relationship with one another as human beings. So, if you do not know that person who beat you to the last toy on the shelf or that mother whose kids are behaving poorly in the line at the register, then be kind. You don’t know the burdens they carry with them anymore than they know yours. In his explanation to the 8th Commandment in the Small Catechism Luther again writes, “We should fear and love God so that we… speak well of him, defend him, and explain his actions in the kindest way.” If we all kept that in this season it would be a joy to behold.
1. Give generously. I’m not just talking about putting change in Salvation Army buckets, rounding up at the register for a good cause or giving a $50 gift instead of $20. All of that can be nice, but even better is giving in an unexpected way. Ask yourself: What does extravagant giving look like apart from a price tag?
2. Give your time. This follows logically from the first. During this time of the year when everybody feels frazzled few think they can handle giving their time to any cause—worthy or not. Do it anyway.
3. Find a devotional practice. Let’s face it, you’ll tell yourself to start a practice like this after the holidays, and whether it’s an explicitly Christian practice or something less explicit like exercising or eating right, you’re probably going to fail at it, because New Years’ Resolutions last, on average, about two weeks. A better time to start a practice is when things are at their most stressful because devotional practices exist with the purpose of keeping you focused when life is busy and challenging. I realize this sounds counter-intuitive, but Martin Luther was on to something when he said, “I have so many things to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
4. The only perfect person is Jesus. Which means that you are not. Which means that your Christmas dinner will not be perfect, nor your choice of gifts, nor the stockings, nor anything else you do in this season. The first Christmas featured kings bowing before a baby. That’s the kind of humility we need in the face of divine.
5. Be kind. This should flow naturally from the ones above, but, surprisingly, it often doesn’t. I realize that Jesus said and did things that were brash and direct and flaunted his authority and power. You are not Jesus. And, while the Christian life is about more than being nice, all evangelism and mission done in the world is predicated on being in a relationship with one another as human beings. So, if you do not know that person who beat you to the last toy on the shelf or that mother whose kids are behaving poorly in the line at the register, then be kind. You don’t know the burdens they carry with them anymore than they know yours. In his explanation to the 8th Commandment in the Small Catechism Luther again writes, “We should fear and love God so that we… speak well of him, defend him, and explain his actions in the kindest way.” If we all kept that in this season it would be a joy to behold.
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