Given the amount of idolatry and materialism that has plagued the last quarter of the year, it is fitting for Christians today to give a simple and polite reminder to everyone they interface with in the next couple of weeks that this season is representative of the birth of the greatest catalyst in world history, Jesus Christ. We can get in a debate about the actual month of Christ’s birth and how Christmas was originally a pagan holiday, but the fact remains that most people regard December 25th as the birthday of the Messiah. If you want to dismiss Christmas on the accuracy of the date, just remember that holy days are revered and their dates rarely (if ever) change.
As such, it is to the church’s advantage that we actually have a day of the year that is named after Christ and we should milk it for all it is worth. To dismiss the celebration of Christ’s birth is to not use the few tools that our culture has left us to proselytize the Christian faith and remind men of the day that would change the world completely. Moreover, if you are going to hate on Halloween and not rejoice during Christmas, you’re just a grinch and nobody likes you.
If you don’t think Christmas matters and it doesn’t serve the advancement of the Gospel, then that’s too bad because most atheists would disagree with you. A simple Google search will show you that every kind of Christmas symbolism has been attacked by secularists, not on the grounds of it promoting joy to the world, peace among men, and gifts all around, but on the basis that it is too religious and exclusive. Specifically, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has taken on the crusade to efface any kind of Christmas imagery from the United States.
In Alsip, Illinois, it has been tradition to erect a Latin cross next to the Tri-State Tollway during the Christmas season since the 70s. Mayor Pat Kitching received tons of complaints about the cross from his constituents and so he decided to follow the will of the people and end the tradition. Oh wait… that’s not correct. I’m sorry, my dyslexia is acting up again. One constituent complained and the FFRF backed him, so the mayor caved. In its place, Alsip will put up a tree with a whole bunch of nice lights and ornaments. But they are not calling it a Christmas tree. Because if they did then America would become a theocracy and homosexuals would be decapitated along with everyone who watches Harry Potter. Thank goodness for the atheists saving us from that.
But there is a lesson for us to learn from our fellow secularists in their unabashed attacks on Christmas and Christianity, and that is … be like them. Jesus told us to be bold and to never be ashamed of Him or His word; atheists get the bold and unashamed part but they are using it against us.
Look at Santa Monica, California; three years ago one atheist, Damon Vix, set up a booth bashing the Christian religion during Christmas in Palisades Park where it has been a six-decade tradition to host nativity scenes. Today, nativity scenes are in the minority while secular displays hold the torch in Palisades Park. We need to take a lesson from them and target areas in our culture where Christianity is the minority, set up camp within an earshot of Satan’s dominion, and by the power of God watch it turn into a relic of holiness rather than another piece of land for the kingdom of darkness.
But if you don’t feel like being some gung-ho activist, be a simple soldier for the cause of Christ. Greet everyone this season with “Merry Christmas” and not “Happy Holidays.”
Image: Merry Christmas; New York : Published by Currier & Ives, c1876. Source: United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3a05129; public domain.
Lower Image: Balsam Cedar Pine Christmas Cross; author: Wilson Evergreens;Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
