Christian brothers and sisters, do we really need to keep telling the world to “keep Christ in Christmas”? Stick with me here; I have my reasons and…
Questions About “Keep Christ in Christmas”
1. Could it be that the message to “Keep Christ in Christmas” demands from a secular world something for which they don’t even fully understand? Nor are they able to do so.
Instead of demanding secular conformity, why don’t we celebrate that for a brief time every year, the world opens itself to this holy Baby who was born in a manger? Could it be that in the same way that the people in the time of Jesus’ birth were awed by all that happened that perhaps Christmas can still fill people’s hearts with wonder? Could it be that the light of Christ’s birth can somehow shine into people’s lives–however broken their celebration of that event might be?
As a child, Christmas was a full-on celebration of Santa for our family–and only Santa. Yet somehow the Spirit of God tugged at my heart and I wondered what the music of Christmas was all about. I loved “Silent Night,” but I wouldn’t understand who the child sung about was for years. Could it be that Christ indeed was in Christmas even though we celebrated the secular version of Christmas?
When I was a child, I’m so grateful that there weren’t the condescending messages to turn us away from Christ at Christmas. Could it be that in my family’s inability to keep Christ in Christmas that this Jesus came to us anyway? After all, it wasn’t up to us to seek Jesus; it was up to Jesus to find us! And find us He did!
2. Could it be that the message to “Keep Christ in Christmas” negates the humility that surrounded the birth of our Savior?
Blogger and youth minister Stephen Ingram writes in “The Heresy of Keeping Christ in Christmas” at OrganicStudentMinistry.com: Christianity, as defined by the life and teachings of Jesus, never depended or insisted on being the majority, in power or even influential. It was a religion that lauded the weak, meek and the poor. Jesus came preaching a gospel that defaulted on the need for religion to have power and influence. He told us that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. When Peter picked up a sword and was ready to take Jerusalem, Jesus quickly told him to put it down because that is not the kind of gospel he was bringing.
Yet one of the most vocal organizations for “Keep Christ in Christmas” states the reason for their campaign: It is our obligation to remind those around us of the true meaning of Christmas. For more than 60 years, our Order has led the “Keep Christ in Christmas” campaign as a way to put that obligation into concrete action by being a positive voice in our national cultural life.
Is that why Jesus came? Did he come to create “a positive voice in our national cultural life”? If so, why wasn’t he born as a world leader? Why didn’t he become the political leader his disciples thought he would be–instead of the humble servant who washed their feet in almost sheer anonymity?
3. Could it be that the message to “Keep Christ in Christmas” redirects our focus at this time to the wrong “campaign”?
What is it that we care about most at Christmastime? There’s a campaign for signing the petition to keep Christ in Christmas because “it is no secret that the true meaning of CHRISTmas is under attack in our society today,” according to Jesusgivesme.org.
Or you can involve your kids in a “Keep Christ in Christmas” poster contest. The Knights of Columbus encourage this contest every year with this challenge: For many in society Christmas has become for many – especially children – a secular holiday. To combat this, the Knights of Columbus has introduced the Keep Christ in Christmas poster contest. This program – similar to the Substance Abuse Awareness Poster Contest – will allow young people to engage their creative talents and imaginations while understanding the true, spiritual meaning of Christmas.
Marshall McLuhan said years ago: The medium is the message, which means that the medium we use to convey the message may indeed convey more than the content of the message itself.
How did God send His message?
