First
Presbyterian Church
|
|
|
Pastor's Page
Even though it is still three days before Thanksgiving as I write this, a Christmas card has already arrived at our home. While I always look forward to hearing from old friends – in some cases these cards or letters are our only connection – there is one letter that I do not look forward to receiving. The sender is a member of a congregation Steve and I served in Illinois, and every year this man’s Christmas letter is basically a rant about how our culture no longer “keeps” Christmas the way he thinks they should. He is very upset that children are no longer being taught Christmas carols in school and that some stores now have “holiday trees” rather than Christmas trees. And don’t even get him started on the phrase “Season’s Greetings!”
I have to disagree with my former parishioner’s views for a few reasons. First, I do not think it is the responsibility of the broader culture to keep Christ in Christmas. That is our job in the church. It is our job to make sure that our children know the stories and carols and religious customs of Christmas – not the job of the public schools. And while some of us may be nostalgic for the days when public school music teachers could teach Christmas carols in class, we need to ask ourselves how we would feel if Christianity were a minority religion in this country and our children were forced at school to learn music from another religious tradition. I doubt that we would appreciate that. The Good News of Jesus is intended to be a gift freely offered, not something forced upon others. And if – as Christians – we are supposed to treat other people the way we want to be treated, then forcing Jewish children and Muslim children and Buddhist children to sing Christian hymns in school is actually un-Christian. So, by taking Christmas carols out of the classroom, we are not being “politically correct.” Instead, we are recognizing the difference between church and state, rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and unto God that which is God’s.
But another reason I do not want to push for the broader culture to embrace the idea of “keeping” Christmas is that they have done such a bad job of it so far! One of the reasons I love Thanksgiving is that, other than the grocery stores, the commercial forces have pretty much left it alone because they can’t figure out a way to make much money off it. Instead, merchandisers ignore Thanksgiving, and begin earlier and earlier each year to push their message of “Here is how to purchase the perfect Christmas!” So, while we in the Church are beginning the season of Advent – the season of waiting patiently for God to do what God will do in God’s good time – the stores fill their shelves with Christmas items even before Halloween. And, of course, all these items will be removed as soon as possible after December 25 since, in the minds of commercial America, Christmas ends that day. And, sadly, many people are so sick of Christmas by the time it arrives, they can’t wait to take down the tree and let life get back to normal. As if life after Christ arrived would ever get back to normal!
I don’t think the Church will ever get Christmas back from the malls. Christmas has for too long been co-opted and exploited by the broader culture. In fact, I’ve noticed in recent years that what has happened to Christmas is now happening to Hanukkah, a minor Jewish festival – it, too, has been noticed by merchandisers eager to have another holiday to push sales. But while we will never get the malls to leave Christmas alone, that does not mean that we need to let them define Christmas for us. We can choose to resist the pressures of the broader culture and keep Christ in Christmas in our homes, our families, our church family. We can light our Advent candles and choose to engage in the self-examination, reflection, and preparation of our hearts that is the spirit of Advent. We can find ways to spend our time lovingly rather than our money unwisely.
It’s up to the Church to keep Christ in Christmas. And we do.
Fondly, Cynthia Simmons
|
First Presbyterian Church, Easton, PA
If you have questions or comments about this web site, please contact our webmaster