#66 Christmas Wars?

Only two weeks are left before Christmas! Most, if not all, of us are busy getting ready to celebrate the holiday and enjoy some time off from work. It's been common around this time of year to hear about a "War on Christmas." There's debate about whether department store employees should wish customers "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays." There might even be complaints about seasonal coffee cups or some other special promotion. Personally, I'm sick of hearing about all of it. I think we Christians are missing the point. I'm pretty sure the devil must sit and laugh at how Christians get all bent out of shape about greetings while we're totally comfortable with all the materialism and busyness of Christmas time. If we Christians want to be worried, we should worry about if we're thinking more about presents than about the meaning of Jesus' birth. We should worry about if we make ourselves so busy at Christmastime that we neglect to reflect on God's love or make our worship just another thing to do. If we've made Christmas a competition to have the best decorations or give or receive the best gifts, if we've made Christmas a time of stress or self-absorption or distraction, then we've already lost the real war.

Grace and peace,

BMH