The Advent season is now upon us, and as is usually the case at this time of year,
I find myself struggling with the crass commercialism of the season. It frustrates
me and many others that the core themes which should be commemorated, the
coming of the messiah, and the nature of his humble birth are often lost in a
conglomeration of folk traditions and marketing strategies.
Most of us inherit family traditions concerning the Christmas season. Many of
these traditions, while not truly "religious" in nature, still promote positive
elements in our family and social relationships. The shared meals, the giving
and receiving of gifts, the music, the fragrance of evergreen bows, the search
for the perfect tree; all of these activities and more can be a positive part of
the joyous season.
The key to sincere Christians who wish to celebrate Christmas for all the right
reasons is not so much which icons or activities that we pursue, but the
underlying reasons and focus of celebration. To state it simply what is important
is why you rejoice, not how you rejoice.
I am constantly amazed at the deviousness of the adversary. Whether you call it
Lucifer, Satan, the devil, old Nick, or some other name, there is a force on earth
that acts against God and tempts man to act against God. Deceit and misdirection
of values is the way this force subverts even the most well intentioned of us into
blind alleys and wrong thinking. What has happened in the secularization of
Christmas is an excellent example of this subtle deceit.
If someone had told the Apostle Paul that in the 20th century more than one billion
people would celebrate the birth of Jesus he would have been amazed and
delighted. However, could Paul have seen the way that his Lord and Savior's
name was used to market toys, food, material goods, music and everything else
you can imagine, he would have felt as Jesus did when he threw the money
changers out of the temple in Jerusalem.
So what can we do to fight the prostitution of what should be a holy and peaceful
season? Should we retreat from all the contrivances of society and not have a
Christmas tree, or not give gifts to our loved ones, or not have the kids picture
taken with Santa? Should we retreat in our sanctuaries and cathedrals and
celebrate Christ's birth only in those separate places?
No, we must be visible, faithful Christians if we are to serve our Lord as he has
requested. Not only must we be visible, but our faith must be visible in all we do
to commemorate his birth. In our gift giving, our faith in Christ must be visible, in
our feasting our faith must be visible, in our decorations , our faith must be
visible, in our children's stories, our faith must be visible. In all our activities
especially during this season, our faith is what makes the difference between
an empty; materialistic commercial of Christmas and a happy, holy Christ
centered Christmas.
So, my best wishes to you this Christmas is that you will remember to witness
in all your activities, that you have faith in his saving grace and that you are full
of joy that he came to earth to set us free.
Jim Erlandson is an elder of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ (RLDS), Olympia.
The Perspective column is coordinated by Associated Ministries in cooperation with The
Olympian. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed
by Associated Ministries or The Olympian
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