Speaking of Christmas
There’s something that’s really been bothering me that I need to get off my chest.
First of all, I believe that everyone should celebrate Christmas. Even if they don’t believe in the main part of the holiday (which is Jesus Christ…it’s in the name really), the Christian virtues of generosity and love for your neighbor are reinforced this time of year. And for my money, those virtues are always a benefit to society.
Not only that, it’s a time of year where our attention is drawn (whether we like it or not) to the Biblical account of a Savior being born to save us from our sins. This mindset is also a benefit to society.
However, when you separate a holiday from its true origin and purpose, you’re left with a meaningless tradition that borders on hypocrisy.
We celebrate Christmas because the Son of God became flesh, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect, sinless life, so that He could die on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins. He was born so that He could take the penalty for our sins and offer us salvation and a home in Heaven with Him for eternity.
Speaking of Politics…
It kind of reminds me of the worst of our politicians. Each elected official takes an oath of office. For Congress, that oath read:
Their one and only job is to support and defend the Constitution and faithfully execute the duties of their office. However, after taking this oath, we see the majority of politicians completely trampling on the words they pledged as they ignore the Constitution. With a finger to the wind, they work tirelessly to gain reelection, while the Constitution is torn to ribbons.
And once again, we see a meaningful observance, removed from its true origin and purpose, become a meaningless tradition that reeks of hypocrisy.
And this leads to the question, if you don’t believe in protecting and defending the Constitution, then why in the world are you celebrating taking this oath?
Look in the Mirror
Call me old fashioned, but I believe that the words coming out of your mouth should match the actions that define your life.
Whether that means as an elected official you actually study and understand the Constitution your pledge to defend, or whether that means that you actually seek to understand the reason behind celebrating Christmas, we would all do well to look in the mirror, examine ourselves, and see if our lives are any more than meaningless tradition.
We all long for something real. This coming year, I pray that is what we all find.
