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Yes, it is true that the birth of Jesus Christ should drive the Christian's celebration of Christmas. However, should the Christian expect the non-Christian to hold fast to, promote, and proclaim the same centrality of Christ in their celebration of Christmas? No!
It is true that America is a hot bed for Christianity, but it is a mistake on the part of The Church to equate that to America's culture being a Christian culture. Our prayer ought to be that our culture, society, and country would be filled with people from every tribe, tongue, and nation whose lives have been so changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ that our culture's mindset, outlook, and pattern is shaped by the Christian faith. In the meantime, let's not pretend like that's the case now.
So, entering into this holiday season, how should Christians handle themselves? Let me suggest the following:
It is true that America is a hot bed for Christianity, but it is a mistake on the part of The Church to equate that to America's culture being a Christian culture. Our prayer ought to be that our culture, society, and country would be filled with people from every tribe, tongue, and nation whose lives have been so changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ that our culture's mindset, outlook, and pattern is shaped by the Christian faith. In the meantime, let's not pretend like that's the case now.
So, entering into this holiday season, how should Christians handle themselves? Let me suggest the following:
- Do NOT frame your Christmas celebration around the American cultural picture of Christmas. Don't give presents because Santa brings them. Give loved ones presents to remind yourself that the wise men brought presents to our King - Jesus Christ - to acknowledge his sovereignty, as an act of worship. Put up lights with the mindset that you are remembering the star above Bethlehem that marked the place of Christ's birth. However you celebrate, do so by keeping Christ central and magnifying his sovereign, supreme reign as the King of kings. Also, keep your Christian brothers and sisters accountable in the same endeavor.
- Do NOT expect non-Christians to keep Christ central in their celebration. Rather than complaining, griping, and posting about how the car dealership down the street wrote "HAPPY HOLIDAYS" on their window, or how your cashier at Walmart said the same, use this Season as an opportunity to proclaim the good news of Christ and how faith in Christ (in his life, death, burial, resurrection, and reign) brings the best gift of all - salvation.
- Exude the fruits of the Spirit during the Christmas season. The American cultural Christmas is often marked by extra traffic, long lines, greed, impatience, and stress, which yields irritation, short fuses, and even anger. If Christ's Church is marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF CONTROL, don't you think we would act as lights to a world caught in the darkness of sin? Be careful not to think this action and attitude is enough to keep you from verbally testifying about Christ - it is not. However, the two do go hand and hand. It can't be one or the other; it must be both.
- Don't be afraid of "X-MAS." As a Christian, my advice on the question of "to use or not to use," is up to each individual's conscience before God. In light of the context of the rest of this post, we ought not get angry when non-Christians abbreviate Christmas this way. Instead, educate yourselves, and once again, use this as conversation starter about Jesus. It may go, "Did you know that the X in 'Xmas' really comes from 'Christ.' See, in ancient Greek, which was the language of the Roman empire when Jesus lived, Christ is spelled Χριστός (Christos). So, the 'X' actually represents Christ's name because it references the greek letter chi (Χ) at the beginning. It's not removing the name of Christ from Christmas, it is simply shortening it like an abbreviation." From there you have now, in a non-confrontational manner, started a conversation centered around Jesus, through which you can share the Gospel.
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In summary, this holiday season, don't expect non-Christians to act and speak like Christians. Don't seek to change the actions and language of the American holiday culture simply by "waging war" on it. Seek change by keeping Christ central to your celebration of Christmas. Then, live and share the Gospel while pleading with God to change hearts and minds through it. That is what will "win the day," the Gospel of Christ, which is the power of God to save (Romans 1:16).