How To Keep Christ in Christmas - Isaiah 7:14; 9:2, 6-7; 11:1-9; 61:1-3; Luke 2:1-20
How
many of you are tired of the “war on Christmas”? How many of you, like me, are really tired of
hearing about the “war on Christmas”?
Now don’t get me wrong. I truly
believe that Christmas is about Christ.
I really believe that without Christ, there is no reason to celebrate or
observe Christmas. I think if we go to a
Christmas party or Christmas parade or even a Christmas tree lighting ceremony
and there is no reference to Christ, then there is something wrong. If we celebrate Christmas, then we must do
everything we can to make sure that Christ is kept in Christmas.
So
how do we keep Christ in Christmas?
Well, surprisingly, it has nothing to do with whether a manger scene is
displayed on city property or a holiday tree is decorated at the White House;
it has nothing to do whether or not children are able to sing “Away in the
Manger” during their winter festival program at school; it has nothing to do
with whether the cashier tells us “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” or
simply “have a nice day;” and, finally, it has nothing to do with whether a
store displays “Christmas” signs or uses “Christmas” in their advertising
campaign. In fact, as many of you have
heard me say before, I really don’t think that Jesus wants his name associated
with an attempt to sell at 52 inch flat screen television, a new suit or dress,
an Elsa doll or Transformer action figure, or even a jug of eggnog.
We
have to realize, those are distractions.
They really have nothing to do with what Christmas is about and really
have no bearing on whether Christ is found in Christmas. So what is keeping Christ in Christmas all
about? It is about the fulfillment of
the words of Isaiah.
Isaiah
said:
…Look,
the young woman is with child and shall bear you a son, and shall name him
Immanuel…(“God with us.”)
The
people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…His authority shall grow
continually, and there shall be endless peace…He will establish and uphold it
with justice and righteousness…
He
shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with
righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of
the earth…Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness
the belt around his loins…They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy
mountain…
“The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me
to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of
the Lord’s favor…to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland
instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise
instead of a faint spirit…They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall
raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities…
Those
are the things that Christ came to do…he even declares it to be what He is
about as he begins His ministry in Nazareth, quotes Isaiah 61 and says, “Today
this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”[i]
When
questioned by the followers of John the Baptist of whether or not he was the
Messiah, Jesus responded, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and
heard—the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the good news brought to
them.”[ii]
My
brothers and sisters, that is what Christ’s coming into the world was all
about…to be a light in the darkness…that is what Christmas, with all its
decorations, lights, and celebrations is all about…to be a breaking of light
into the darkness, a time of healing for the wounded, a bringing of hope for
those in despair, a gesture of forgiveness where there is bitterness, the offer
of love where there is hatred or loneliness.
There
is a t-shirt that I saw around Thanksgiving, one I probably should have
bought. Maybe one that we all should be
wearing. It read, “Want to Keep Christ in Christmas?
Feed the Hungry, Clothe the Naked, Forgive the Guilty, Welcome the
Unwanted, Care for the Ill, Love Your Enemies, and Do Unto Others as You Would
Have Done Unto You.”
That’s
how we keep Christ in Christmas: serving at the shelter rather than standing in
line at the store, offering warm clothes to someone who is stuck in the cold rather
than purchasing a new wardrobe for ourselves, offering forgiveness to someone
who has wronged us, rather than plotting to get even or wanting to see them
suffer; offering hospitality to those who are alone or even shunned, rather
than pretending we do not see them; spending time with someone who is sick,
rather than saying, “I don’t want those germs”; doing something nice for
someone who has attacked us; and simply treating those around us like we would
want them to treat us.
My
brothers and sisters, when we keep Christmas this way, we will find that
Christmas stays in our lives and hearts much longer than this wonderful season
of beautiful lights, pretty packages, and cheerful carols. In fact, keeping when we keep Christ in
Christmas in these ways, we will find that our lives are filled with the joy of
the Christmas season beyond the return or exchange of presents on December 26th
or the taking down of the tree after New Years, or even after the late
Christmas party mid-January. It is in
this way we keep Christ in Christmas all year long…and those following Christ
win the war on Christmas. In the Name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment