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DISCUSSJesus Schedules December Vacation, Will Miss His Birthday
| 12/13/2007It's impossible to celebrate Christmas without first expressing your opinion about Christmas.
If you're Bill O'Reilly, it's a chance to scream Merry Goldang Christmas! Do you hear me? That's the word Christmas, with "Christ" right there in the middle of it! That's what you're supposed to say!
If you're an atheist, it's a chance to scream Get your superstitious symbols out of my face! (Do atheists exchange gifts at Christmas, or do they wait until Darwin's Birthday? I have no idea.)
If you're a super-religious type, it's a chance to Praise Him Who Is Born This Day! If we would just Praise Him Who Is Born This Day in Bethlehem, we wouldn't be so focused on shopping!
If you're a sitcom writer, it's a chance to do Something Special for the Christmas Show. Maybe the old drunk in the alley should be just the person that Changes Raymond's Life that night.
If you're a local TV news anchor, it's a chance to talk about Those Less Fortunate and The Holiday Spirit. 
There are always a bunch of Gag Me holiday stories on tv. The best one this year is about some drive-through Starbucks where a patron arrived at the window and said, "I want to pay for my coffee and also the coffee of the person in the car behind me"–even though he didn't know the person in the next car. And then the next person did the same thing for the car behind him, and so on and so on, and the chain was unbroken for 200 cars, and all the Starbucks employees were misty-eyed about the people who ordered $34 worth of coffee and found out it was paid for, even though the person in front of them only got a Latte Grande with Sprinkles. And this was all presented as a story about The Christmas Spirit.
If you're an evangelical moralist, you listen to that story about the Starbucks and you say Yeah, right, they minister to people they never have to talk to! And they do it with their money! And they call that discipleship! That's not Christmas!
If you're Oprah, Christmas is a time to say Kwanza, Baby! And Vote for Barack!
If you're a theologian, it's a chance to say There's no way he was born at the winter solstice, that is so pagan.
If you're a pop-culture religion writer, Christmas is when you say No way she was a virgin, and we're not so sure about Bethlehem either.
If you're a Catholic cleric of any kind, it's when you say 17 jillion Hail Marys and talk about how Luke knew what he was talking about, and by the way, that was Luke, not somebody using Luke's name.
But most people who wanna fight about The Meaning of Christmas are Christians. And mostly they think we're going in the wrong direction, that the true meaning is fading away, that even the name of Christmas is fading away, that it's becoming a commercial holiday, a secular holiday, a corrupted tradition, that nobody cares about the church part of it, that all they care about is the gift-giving and the sentimental stories and the days off work, and the churches themselves are the worst, they don't even have that many services because it conflicts with the football games, and another thing, and another thing, and another thing . . .
And then there are those of us who believe that, every time Christmas becomes less Christian, there's a victory for Christ.
Christmas–even on the wrong day, even with the wrong stories surrounding it, even with a lot of pagan ritual attached to it–celebrates the entering into the world of the person who changed the world forever. From that time forward religion turned inward. Everything we could know about God was revealed in its entirety within us, not within a temple or on a mountaintop. It took us a long time to understand this. St. Augustine tried to explain it, and he got most of it right, and then others carried it deeper, and then we got to the 21st century and most of the ways that Jesus turned the world upside down had become . . . commonplace, not attributed to Jesus at all. Perhaps that is how he builds the kingdom, by effacing himself as the builder.
There's an Italian philosopher named Benedetto Croce who said "We cannot but call ourselves Christians." He was not a particularly Christian philosopher. He was saying this about all people. He was noting that, as the world grows more and more secular, the things in Christianity once considered lunacy by the world become accepted by all men. If you're not in the church you only see pale glimpses of it, but you see it and you know it.
--Tim Nyberg
www.GalleryFortyTwo.com
Before Christ you would not have had a public holiday where you were expected to pay attention to the poor, give things away, eat common meals, rest from all your cares, be as close to others as possible, put aside differences, laugh, cry, drink, toast, seek an excess of joy. (Going to the movies on Christmas Day, watching the game–these are not perversions but fulfillments of what is meant by a holy day, a day set aside, the ultimate day of rest because a new life is come into the world.) Holidays before Christ were solemn, if not fearful events where gods were appeased. Anyone who attempts to save his life, at Christmastime, will, like Scrooge, be in danger of losing it. Forgiveness frequently occurs at Christmastime. Miracles happen at Christmastime, because a tiny micro-portion of divine love is understood, for a day, by all, even if they don't know what to do with it.
The Starbucks story is silly, except when you realize that thousands of people will tell and re-tell it, and the subtext will be, "I wish people were like this instead of like that." That's the whisper of Christ, a promise and a beckoning that says "better." When the world grows still on December 25th, that's a faint foretaste of peace. When we engage in the silly rituals, we all know they're silly, we make fun of ourselves even as we engage in them, and yet we continue to re-enact the story, not because it's Christian, but because it's beyond Christian, it's the promise to all men, forever, and they feel it in spite of themselves.
Happy Holidays, Bill.
So "Glory of Christmas" bad or good? Damn fencesitters...
Well said WD... We forget that what to us is everyday, isn't, and just how much Jesus did change.
Somehow, when I imagine Bill O celebrating on Christmas Day, I see it sort of like how someone really into it at a heavy metal concert grits their teeth, forcibly bobs their head, stomps their feet, and FEELS it. I think Bill O must be this way Christmas morning. I - AM - GOING - TO - CELEBRATE - CHRIST - MAS! Damn the libruls!
Only I think loofah sponges are at least SOMEHOW involved.
I Imagine That During The Xmas Holidays,O'Really Climbs Down In His Bunker and Doesn't Allow His Family Out Until January 2!!
Consider:
The missing element in every human 'solution' is an
accurate definition of the creature.
The way we define 'human' determines our view of self,
others, relationships, institutions, life, and future. Many
problems in human experience are the result of false
and inaccurate definitions of humankind premised
in man-made religions and humanistic philosophies.
Human knowledge is a fraction of the whole universe.
The balance is a vast void of human ignorance. Human
reason cannot fully function in such a void; thus, the
intellect can rise no higher than the criteria by which it
perceives and measures values.
Humanism makes man his own standard of measure.
However, as with all measuring systems, a standard
must be greater than the value measured. Based on
preponderant ignorance and an egocentric carnal
nature, humanism demotes reason to the simpleton
task of excuse-making in behalf of the rule of appe-
tites, desires, feelings, emotions, and glands.
Because man, hobbled in an ego-centric predicament,
cannot invent criteria greater than himself, the humanist
lacks a predictive capability. Without instinct or trans-
cendent criteria, humanism cannot evaluate options with
foresight and vision for progression and survival. Lack-
ing foresight, man is blind to potential consequence and
is unwittingly committed to mediocrity, collectivism,
averages, and regression - and worse. Humanism is an
unworthy worship.
The void of human ignorance can easily be filled with
a functional faith while not-so-patiently awaiting the
foot-dragging growth of human knowledge and behav-
ior. Faith, initiated by the Creator and revealed and
validated in His Word, the Bible, brings a transcend-
ent standard to man the choice-maker. Other philo-
sophies and religions are man-made, humanism, and
thereby lack what only the Bible has:
1.Transcendent Criteria and
2.Fulfilled Prophetic Validation.
The vision of faith in God and His Word is survival
equipment for today and the future. Only the Creator,
who made us in His own image, is qualified to define
us accurately.
Human is earth's Choicemaker. Psalm 25:12 He is by
nature and nature's God a creature of Choice - and of
Criteria. Psalm 119:30,173 His unique and definitive
characteristic is, and of Right ought to be, the natural
foundation of his environments, institutions, and re-
spectful relations to his fellow-man. Thus, he is orien-
ted to a Freedom whose roots are in the Order of the
universe. selah
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
WOW, Jim Baxter! I lost you at "consider," but awesome piece, dude! If I hadn't smoked all that dope in college, I'd think it was pretty self-aggrandizing.
Hm. A Christmas miracle. Someone finally got me to stop snarling about how put upon (or is it apon? I dunno) I am at this time of year and made me think about this whole Christmas thing.
Thanka you, Joe Bob...and Merry Christmas.
What a wonderful taste of Freemasonry! A full, yet bold aroma of wit and humor, with a overbearing hint of idiocy!
If you're a dietitian at a zoological garden, it may be your opportunity to shout, "Monkey rice mess!"
Ritual, Actual, above all Real... The birth of a promise. Life is a gift to all. A promise fulfilled in a life lived in full understanding of our relationship with the creator who is parent to all.
What?
Oh, just think a bit. Why should we celebrate Christmas unless it has meaning? I think that meaning is that there is hope for us all.
You are right in saying that we should seek the divine in even the secular, but can we really allow for the commercial orgy fest that Christmas has become to go on? It may not be merry to complain, but only those who see the problem can reform it.
If Christ came among us today - He would throw up! These are the people who pretend compassion the mother of love? He would wonder. The human race is indeed in denial and until we see the stain on our soul that leads to hate and self hate, we shall never overcome our destructiveness. We do not believe in ourselves nor others but will follow "Deciders" who come among us telling us "might makes right" and global gobbling is the correct path and children, women, the poor and weak will be pushed into the cess pools surrounding them. Just let them try to inherit the "super elite's" earth!
WOW to you, too (two?) Jerry and Dotty Vilhotti! You guys made my soul feel all gooey and squishy, full of love and toasted marshmallows. Merry Christmas to you, too (two?)...also?
One of the best christmas memories I have is....... a Christmas i WAS WORKING IN A DAYCARE AND WE WERE REQUIRED TO BUY A GIFT FOR ANOTHER EMPLOYEE [NAME DRAWN] I HAD ONLY WORKED THERE A SHORT TIME AND DID NOT KNOW THE LADY WHOSE NAME I HAD DRAWN. WE EACH HAD TO SPEND AT LEAST 20.00 AND I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT HOW I WAS GOING TO BUY THAT GIFT! NOW I DO NOT REMEMBER WHAT I BOUGHT BUT I WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT I RECEIVED, A SILVER ANGEL. I TOOK IT HOME [MY ONLY GIFT THAT YEAR] THEN REWRAPPED IT IN SILVER PAPER. I CALLED MY DAUGHTER AND ASKED IF I COULD TAKE MY GRANDAUGHTER TO ST. AUGUESTINE. ON THE WAY I TOLD CELINE WHO WAS THEN 4 YEARS OLD THAT I WANTED HER TO PICK OUT THE PERSON THAT THE ANGEL BELONGED TO AND GIVE IT TO THEM. WHEN WE ARRIVED WE LEFT THE GIFT IN THE CAR AND STARTED WALKING. CELINE STOPPED AT THE PERSON THE GIFT WAS TO GO TO. SHE WAS A STREET MIME COMPLETLY SILVER. WE WENT AND GOT THE GIFT AND I TOLD MY GRANDAUGHTER THAT SINCE SHE WAS WORKING AND A MIME SHE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO THANK HER. CELINE WAS FINE WIH THAT. SHE PUT THE GIFT AT HER FEET AND WE WALKED A WAY. AS WE WERE WALKING TO THE CAR WE PASTED HER AGAIN. SHE STEPPED DOWN AND TOLD CELINE A STORY SHE WAS A SINGLE MOM WITH A LITTLE BOY. SHE WAS PROUD THAT HE HAD GIFTS UNDER THE TREE AND IN THE YEARS SINCE HIS BIRTH SHE HAD NEVER HAD A GIFT UNDER THE TREE FOR HERSELF BUT THIS YEAR IT WOULD DIFFERENT! THEN THEY EXCHANGD NAMES AND SHE TOLD MY GRANDAUGHER THAT THEY WOULD LIVE IN EACH OTHER HEARTS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!! MY GRANDAUGHTER STILL TALKS ABOUT THAT CHRISTMAS AS THE BEST ONE WE HAVE SPENT TOGETHER!
My favorite part of the Starbucks story is that the man who started the cascade of generosity was an instructor in Tai Chi. As he was getting his coffee, the person behind him was honking his horn in frustration.
The Tai Chi guy simply sat and reflected on how he could turn around the negative of his situation into a positive.
200 cars later...
Thanks for the well thoughtout article!!! You writting (and Becky's) are why I look forward to Wednesdays. Have MERRY CHRISTMAS BUDDY !!!!!!
It's a cute story about Starbucks, with a nice "lesson", however it was only seven cars. Starbucks tries to get people to "Pass the Cheer" like this every day through their philosophy....Just in case any of you were wondering...
Merry Christmas...
No freakin' way, dude! Starbucks is a big corporate teddy bear, caring only about clean water in Africa, and giving Eddie Vedder a place where people who still care about his diatribes (er, music) can show him love. They absolutely do not have a profit motive! No way. Only right-wing, evil, hate-mongering, war-profiteering Republicans do that sort of thing...not west coast progressives. That's it. You're fired.
Religious humor was once considered blasphemous, but now that politicians and TV evangelists are using religion for power and profit, it's only right that real love and laughter join forces to present the gospel into the real situation we live in today--an entertainment society where all too often we're amusing ourselves to death in an age of terrorism, poverty, war, and other forms of human suffering.
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