But as a little bit of a reminder, I'm going to look into the true origins of what Christmas meant as a purely religious holiday. Because that's what it started as. That's what it IS to me and many other people to whom the presents and Santa are secondary to why that day is Christmas. Surprisingly, the reason we celebrate Christmas on December 25th is because it was the beginning of a festival of light in ancient paganism. It's the winter solstice. (or close to it) And when Christians needed a day to celebrate the day the man who rescued them from the downfalls of human nature, the man who made it ok to say, "we're only human, but let's try to be better", was born, they chose a time of year that was associated with bringing light and hope into the world. So that's why Christmas is in December, and not July, or April or whenever else. I always thought that was really interesting and also a reason for non Christians to celebrate Christmas. If you don't believe in Jesus, or even God, you can celebrate this time of the year as a time we reflect on hope and light and good.
In any case, it's easy to forget that similar to Lent as a lead up to Easter, Christmas has its own runway of sorts. Advent is when we're supposed to reflect on our needs and gifts, our weaknesses and strengths. Meditation. Gratitude. Celebration. All those things. In that vein, I want to share a little reflection I found for today that was simple and helpful:
“The Lord your God … celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.” Zephaniah 3:17 (CEV)
God has taught me the power of music during difficult times in my life. Inspiring lyrics of a song often re-visit me when I need them most. When I can’t get a song out of my head, I sometimes realize that the song is helping me to get through the day or to face a problem. When I can’t find the words to pray, I often listen to a song that expresses my deepest feelings and offer it to God as a prayer.
Listen to a song that expresses your love for God, and offer it as a prayer.
- Nakia Gater
“The Power of Music” (from upperroom.com)
Anyway, the idea behind this post was this... What do you think of Christmas as a religious versus universal tradition? If it came from Christianity, is that where it should remain? Can a religious celebration be stripped of its religious implications? If you celebrate Christmas, are you paying homage to its roots? Is it a choice that we have to ignore where traditions like this come from? I'm trying to think of a metaphor but can't really come up with a another example of a place where our culture has fully embraced a holiday devoided of its roots.
So many are truly angry at the "Keep the Christ in Christmas" signs. Many think its unfair. Are Christians grasping desperately for possession of a holiday? I think its sort of similar to copyright. I think Christians just want credit. If people are going to celebrate our holiday, I think Christians just want it to at least bear their name. So I guess it boils down to, is any holiday fairly labeled "ours"? When a billboard pleads, "It's Christmas, Not Holiday", is it a group of people fairly asking you to pronounce their name respectfully? Or evangelization? I think the evangelization is what makes people mad- and I don't think that's what Christmas, or the billboards, are about.
The radio host below is on 700 WLW Cincinnati, I don't agree with everything he's saying, but it's a very interesting point.
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