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A Sanitized Christmas or A Santa-sized Christmas
Isaiah 9:2-7
In recent years, around about Christmas, the American viewing public has been subjected to seemingly constant squabbling by television pundits about “The War on Christmas.” Personally, I have to say, I find the whole concept to be little more than a perfunctory exercise in what has become a continual hype-fest aimed at polarizing the nation. To make matters worse, the point on which they attempt to divide us is completely and utterly untrue and lacks any semblance of logical rationale. In particular, I have a problem with the way the “two-sided” argument implies that there are…well, only two sides to the argument – the Christian side and the side that everyone else is on.
You see, the reality is that that particular perspective is far, far from the truth. Now, if what they had really meant by “War on Christmas” was that they wanted to minimize the dominance of the modern Christian culture in America throughout the Holidays, then (believe it or not) I’d have to say, “I’m ready to enlist.”
Now, before anyone gets upset because the preacher just said he wants to see Christianity de-emphasized during the Holiday season, let me just say, it’s not for the reasons you might think. It’s not like I’m on the side that by default is considered the “Non-Christian” side of the “War on Christmas.” Quite the contrary, if anything I’d make the argument that the dominate face of Christianity (as it is seen on television and promoted through news programming) is itself far from what Christianity is supposed to be about. It is a sort-of white-washed, sanitized version of Christianity that every year presents an increasingly sanitized version of the Christmas story to the viewing public.
That’s the beginning of the unraveling of the “there-are-only-two-sides-to-the War on Christmas” myth – a Christian side and a non-Christian side.
You see, the baby we are here to remember tonight, was not part of the dominate culture the way the religion he started now is. The stories that were told in those days were told under the shadow of the dominate culture. They were stories of oppression and hardships, stories of overcoming unthinkable odds, stories of hope for a people living in times and cultural positions that – well, quite frankly felt hopeless.
But today, our stories are told from places and positions of power. Today, Christianity is the dominate culture. So, instead of story of a olive skinned middle-eastern, unwed, pregnant mother, who was seen as little more than property, giving birth to what the world would surely see as an illegitimate child who was wrapped in what rags they could find and placed in a smelly, flee infested feeding trough in the midst of a dark musky smelling animal stall… instead of that story, we end up with a clean, white skinned European woman giving birth to a glowing baby wrapped in swaddling clothes so white that even my own mother couldn’t get them that clean and then laid to rest in a manger that looks more like a crib than a trough in the midst of a barn that is more kept and clean than many of our houses.
“War on Christmas?”, sure sign me up. I’d just about prefer the elimination of the modern “celebration” to the increasingly sanitized version we hear every year.The Christmas story has been high jacked by a dominate culture. Places of power and positions of prestige have warped the comeuppance sensibilities of the original Christmas story. God’s vision of liberating the oppressed, the downtrodden, has been slowly replaced year after year with a story that no longer brings fear to the Powers that Be, but rather supports the big business agendas of profit and mass consumerism that this time of year pant on the face of a jolly, portly man with rosy red cheeks.
“War On Christmas?” – come to think of it – they’re right. There is a “War On Christmas,” but many of the people who think Christmas is getting squeezed out of our culture in the name of plurality and other religions are actually the ones who are killing it. If the Christmas they support wins – well, I for one, would have to say all is lost. So, yes, there is a “War on Christmas” and we Christians have been supporting it. If the present day, sanitized version of Christmas continues to be the dominate version, then I believe a great darkness will smother us in a sea of privilege and perverse oblivion to the struggle of those most in need – the oppressed, the downtrodden.
If the Christmas Present continues to masquerade as Christmas Past, we will be left with not only a sanitized Christmas, but a Santa-sized Christmas where we give out of our abundance rather than out of a response to need and out of a response to God’s love - a sanitized, Santa-sized Christmas where we give abundantly to those who already have while the oppressed, the downtrodden, watch our overindulgence and rightfully judge us by actions that run contrary to our words of a child born to bring light into the dark corners of the world.
Isaiah 9:2 – “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” That is the first verse out of our texts for tonight and it is supposed to be the dominate message of the Christmas narrative. Is it? Does the way we celebrate Christmas bring light into the darkness? Does it bring hope to the hopeless? As the end of our texts suggests, does our modern day Christmas celebration bring justice to those who have been treated unjustly?
If your answer is “no” then, whether you knew it or not, you too believe that the Christmas Past has been sanitized and Santa-sized by the Christmas Present.
On this night, as we remember not only the birth of the light of the world, a child sent to enlighten the darkness, we also remember his words, “No greater love has anyone than this, that they lay down their life for a friend.” As we remember the humble, unassuming way he came into this world, let us not forget that he left this world among thieves, as outsider hanging on a cross in an attempt to teach us something about God’s love.
A child born in a manger, no crib for his head – sent into this world to teach us something about the value of every human soul – sent in as the least-of-these, born to a poor woman in a borrowed animal stall – sent to teach us that “the least-of-these” is simply a human construct created by the insiders to define themselves over and against people they see as somehow less than themselves – sent to show us what a life looks like when it starts from the assumption that all people are worthy of God’s love.
This Christmas I wish for you and for me light in the darkness of the Christmas Present. I wish for us enlightenment from God – an enlightenment that helps us see clearly the love for all people that laid in a manger some 2000 years ago – an enlightenment that encourages us to be the light to those trapped in the darkness of hunger, homelessness, oppression, poverty and war – an enlightenment that allows us to see we too have darkness in our lives – an enlightenment that helps us see beyond the sanitized, Santa-sized Christmas of the present to the humble, unassuming beginnings of our religion, the Christmas Past – a baby King, born to an outsider – born to save the world from darkness.
Can the Church Catch Up?
I've been thinking about this for a while. Can the typical church catch up to the frenzy of progression that is happening in technologically oriented fields? Better yet, does it want to? Or even better, does it need to?
Giving Thanks for Progress on Equality
Cross Post from vanpress.blogspot.com Every Thanksgiving, I begin a personal process (that tends to remain completely personal, sharing it with no one) of collecting a mental list of the things for which I am thankful. I carry this list with me through the Holidays right up until New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Eve or so, I find some quite time to reflect on those things with a particular emphasis on the things that are specifically connected with the past year. For example, this past year Jeanette said, “Yes!” when I asked her to marry me – I will be forever thankful about that, but particularly thankful this year. Much like the “thanksgiving” of Jeanette saying yes, most of my thanksgivings are fairly personal. This Thanksgiving though, I am also thankful for something that is both personal and national at the same time. No matter what side of the political perspective you fall, the election of the first African-American as the President of “the most powerful nation in the world” is a milestone that we see very few of in a given lifetime. For me it is particularly remarkable to reflect on it and, yes, be thankful about during Thanksgiving in the US. Galatians 3:38 – “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” That's the goal, the vision, of heaven on earth - the Kingdom of God come. It takes seriously the understanding that God created us all equally. Unfortunately, that has not always been the history of the US - or any other nation for that matter. Which brings us back to my thanksgiving reflection on the historical and theological significance of electing Obama President. Supposedly the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 by the Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors (although there is debate of this). The picturethat is presented of this is one of harmony and goodwill. Plymouth Rock, the reported landing place of the first Pilgrims, however has been used as the symbol to point to some less than harmonious (and less than Christian) parts of U.S. history. Since 1970 a group of Native American have used Plymouth Rock on Thanksgiving as a way to protest the historical treatment of Native Americans in the US - it has become known as "The National Day of Mourning." Possibly the most famous words uttered about Plymouth Rock were those of Malcolm X, "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock landed on us." The point is, harmony between the peoples of the US, equality, has not always been our strongest quality even though, biblically, it should be. The election of President Obama gives me hope that we are slowly leaving that kind of behavior behind in the US. This isn't about which political party won, it is about a milestone not only in US history but in the lives of those who have been marginalized in one way or the other - and, yes, even in the lives of those who have not. Paul encouraged Christians toward this type of behavior, toward valuing all people for who they are or as one of my personal heroes put it, judging people not by "the color of there skin, but by the content of their character." Paul (and Dr. King for that matter) was trying to tell us, that freedom, real freedom, comes from recognizing that the God in me is the same as the God in you. President Kennedy (another of my heroes) said, "Our most basic common link, is that we all inhabit this small planet, we breath the same air, we all cherish our children's future, and we are all mortal." It was that common link, that essential same-ness, that Paul was trying to get us to see. It is part of what inspired Kennedy to proclaim that, "imposed upon [the US is] the role of leader in freedom's call." Given that, for we Christians, freedom, real freedom, is recognizing that the God in me is the same as the God in you, it would seem that in the election of Obama we have made another bold step in the direction of being a "leader in freedom's call." Given that real freedom means, "there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female," we have a distance yet to go. I am deeply and spiritually grateful this Thanksgiving for the bold statement we have made as a nation. I hope that we take the charge of Paul, and King, and Kennedy and (in the words of Simone de Beauvoir) insure that the existence of "every human life [is] pure transparent freedom," so that no child ever feels like they are less loved, less cared for or less valuable than any other - so that everyone knows they are important, so that everybody knows they are great. I am thankful that he was elected, I am hopeful that he will take the words of Jesus to heart and see that in order for us all be great, we each must be a servant, even the President - a servant of all. Dr. King put it best in one of my favorite sermons, "The Drum Major Instinct," "And so Jesus gave us the new norm of greatness. If you want to be important - wonderful. If you want to be recognized - wonderful. If you want to be great - wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's the new definition of greatness." I'll conclude this reflection by sharing with you the final words of "The Drum Major Instinct," because if we all could live out a life like Dr. King hoped he would, we would all truly have something for which to be thankful. (Mister President, I hope you are listening somewhere out there): "If I can help somebody as I pass along, If I can cheer somebody with a word or song, If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong, Then my living will not be in vain. If I can do my duty as a Christian ought, If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought, If I can spread the message as the master taught, Then my living will not be in vain. Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world."