Tidings of comfort and joy?
I read the Lincoln Journal-Star every day or so, mostly just to see what's going on in Nebraska on a semi-daily basis. I really have to stop doing this, or one of these days I'm going to heave my laptop across the room.
For the past weeks there have been letters, articles and editorials on the holiday season. Yes, I said holiday. I didn't say Christmas, I didn't say Hanukkah, I didn't say Kwanzaa.
People are organizing a boycott of Target stores because, in the store's circulars, "holiday" sales were mentioned rather than Christmas sales. Hardline conservatives are now calling for a boycott of Target because of this "lack of respect" toward Christianity. Fine.
But I would be willing to bet practically anything that these same people would be righteously offended if Target stores sent out Eid al-Fitr sale ads, wished people happy Ramadhan or celebrated any other holiday affiliated with any other major (or minor) world religion.
One letter said: "This is what holiday is about … the birth of Jesus. What I don’t understand is, if you don’t believe in Christmas (birth of Christ), then why do you participate in it … decorating outdoors, trees, gifts and parties?"
The Christmas holiday, yes, is about celebrating the birth of our Savior. The word "holiday" in general, however, is pretty generic. Hanukkah begins Dec. 25 this year. A good percentage of the world's population believes that this, too, is a holiday.
The author of this letter contradicts herself. I would argue, and Charlie Brown would back me up, that trees, gifts, light displays and parties really have nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas. Those things represent a completely secular, commercialized side of the Christmas season. Hello, Santa Claus.
I'm sorry people, but if your Christmas season is ruined and your faith is threatened by a secular store's particular semantics, then perhaps the real problem lies elsewhere.
Maybe I'm becoming insufferably preachy, or even self-righteous, so forgive me if that's the case. I'm dreadfully afraid I'll be unbearable to be around once we do move back to the States. Things like this just frustrate me so much for some reason.
I want to take these people by the shoulders, shake them, and scream, "DO YOU REALIZE HOW SCREWED UP THE WORLD IS?!" It's frightening how many people forget the world exists outside of Anytown, U.S.A.
Every day people on this planet are suffering and dying. People in every country in the world, the United States included, are dying of starvation, or have no place to live. For millions of people, life is hopeless. Utterly, completely hopeless.
How can we, as Christians, help to make the world a better place? By arguing over words used on a sale ad? How in God's name, in the grand scheme of things, is this going to make the world better? It isn't.
If people are threatened by the lack of the Christmas spirit, they should get out there and do something. Outraged letters to the editor will feed, clothe and comfort no one. Christmas lights, holiday lights; Christmas gifts or holiday gifts...when it comes right down to it, those things DON'T MATTER.
The birth of a little baby gave hope and salvation to the world.
For God so loved the world...
Love. That, above all else, is what Christmas is about. Not sale ads. Not lights. Not trees. Not tinsel and parties and presents.
Christmas is about love-a love so pure and glorious and divinely gracious that we can't even begin to fully understand it.
You want to spread the Word about the true meaning of the season? There you go.
For the past weeks there have been letters, articles and editorials on the holiday season. Yes, I said holiday. I didn't say Christmas, I didn't say Hanukkah, I didn't say Kwanzaa.
People are organizing a boycott of Target stores because, in the store's circulars, "holiday" sales were mentioned rather than Christmas sales. Hardline conservatives are now calling for a boycott of Target because of this "lack of respect" toward Christianity. Fine.
But I would be willing to bet practically anything that these same people would be righteously offended if Target stores sent out Eid al-Fitr sale ads, wished people happy Ramadhan or celebrated any other holiday affiliated with any other major (or minor) world religion.
One letter said: "This is what holiday is about … the birth of Jesus. What I don’t understand is, if you don’t believe in Christmas (birth of Christ), then why do you participate in it … decorating outdoors, trees, gifts and parties?"
The Christmas holiday, yes, is about celebrating the birth of our Savior. The word "holiday" in general, however, is pretty generic. Hanukkah begins Dec. 25 this year. A good percentage of the world's population believes that this, too, is a holiday.
The author of this letter contradicts herself. I would argue, and Charlie Brown would back me up, that trees, gifts, light displays and parties really have nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas. Those things represent a completely secular, commercialized side of the Christmas season. Hello, Santa Claus.
I'm sorry people, but if your Christmas season is ruined and your faith is threatened by a secular store's particular semantics, then perhaps the real problem lies elsewhere.
Maybe I'm becoming insufferably preachy, or even self-righteous, so forgive me if that's the case. I'm dreadfully afraid I'll be unbearable to be around once we do move back to the States. Things like this just frustrate me so much for some reason.
I want to take these people by the shoulders, shake them, and scream, "DO YOU REALIZE HOW SCREWED UP THE WORLD IS?!" It's frightening how many people forget the world exists outside of Anytown, U.S.A.
Every day people on this planet are suffering and dying. People in every country in the world, the United States included, are dying of starvation, or have no place to live. For millions of people, life is hopeless. Utterly, completely hopeless.
How can we, as Christians, help to make the world a better place? By arguing over words used on a sale ad? How in God's name, in the grand scheme of things, is this going to make the world better? It isn't.
If people are threatened by the lack of the Christmas spirit, they should get out there and do something. Outraged letters to the editor will feed, clothe and comfort no one. Christmas lights, holiday lights; Christmas gifts or holiday gifts...when it comes right down to it, those things DON'T MATTER.
The birth of a little baby gave hope and salvation to the world.
For God so loved the world...
Love. That, above all else, is what Christmas is about. Not sale ads. Not lights. Not trees. Not tinsel and parties and presents.
Christmas is about love-a love so pure and glorious and divinely gracious that we can't even begin to fully understand it.
You want to spread the Word about the true meaning of the season? There you go.
posted by Erin @ 6:24 AM
1 Comments:
At Monday, December 12, 2005 8:02:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
yeah, I'm getting tired of those Nebraskans that just don't understand anything beyond their small-town worlds. Of course, most of those are my students:)
Post a Comment
<< Home