The War on Christmas

I hear about the “War on Christmas” and the outrage over “Happy Holidays.” I’ve been pondering all that.

First of all, Christmas is not the only holiday this time of year. In addition to Hanukkah and Kwanzaa there are several other less well-known holidays. The last time I checked, our nation was built on religious liberty; it’s not a theocracy. (There’s a whole rabbit trail on that statement I won’t follow.)

Second of all, Jesus came into the world for all people. He welcomed, helped, and healed the people of his day who would have said “Happy Holidays.” One of the biggest barriers to his message and ministry were the ones who would have declared there was a “war on Judaism.”

I’m all about Jesus, the Kingdom, and the Gospel, but when we turn following Jesus into a tool for political purposes, we bastardize much of the message of what Jesus stood for…and against.

So to my fellow Christ followers, Merry Christmas! To those who might practice different spiritual practices or ascribe to different religions (or none), Happy Holidays!

May we all learn to live in peace while seeking a better world for all creation.

Christ entered a messy world in a messy space, coming from a messy lineage. That is how the divine chose to become flesh and dwell along us. There is a message in that method. I hope we can capture just a little of that humility in our interactions with our neighbors of all cultures, religions, and heritages.