The birth of Christ and Christmas are two different things. The birth of Christ in Luke chapter two tell us of the events around the virgin birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary. The shepherds, the wise men, Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus are all there. It is a story that we focus on that the the early church seemed to not think was important to mention.
Christmas, and especially American Christmas, is the big holiday that we celebrate on December 25th. The music, the food, the videos, and the memories are all unique to this holiday. There are things that we do for Christmas that we only do for Christmas and no other holiday. The tree, the lights, the stockings hung up, the cookies and eggnog, and Mariah Carey singing. It only happens this time of year.
It is the church's job to remind us of the birth of Jesus and what it means for us. It is also the church's job to help us navigate through this tumultuous time of year so that we survive and thrive and make it through December.
Don't work too hard trying to force the birth into Santa's world. Let them be two separate things.
No comments:
Post a Comment