It Still Is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I don't often have blogs of this nature but I think the occasion calls for one. Two blogs ago, I wrote a hypothetical asking would any of us care as much if all we had for Christmas was honoring the birth of Christ. I think if many of us were honest with ourselves, the answer would probably be "No." Since that blog, I've been thinking a lot about that. Asking myself if the birth of Jesus was enough for Christmas. I sat in my office today awaiting my firm's Christmas luncheon, while having "O Holy Night" play on my music player and really just felt in awe. I really feel like God is wanting me (as well as all of us) to get to that point where He is enough. Not to take away gifts or Christmas music and specials, but for us to look to Him for our excitement and joy more so than looking forward to waking up to an X-Box under a tree. As I sat there, I really felt like God was pulling me there, just thinking about what Christmas really means. It wasn't just the birth of a baby. It wasn't just the birth of a man. It wasn't even just the birth of the Son of God.

It was the birth of

• Redemption
• Freedom
• 2nd Chances
• Peace
• Joy
• Hope
• Healing
• Purpose
• Starting over
• Forgiveness
• Love
• Never being alone
• Victory
• Triumph
• Strength
• Deliverance
• Life

I know that tomorrow morning, there's going to be exchanging gifts and spending time with the people I love and I'm excited for that. It's something I look forward to every year along with everything else Christmas has to offer. But nearly 2000 years ago, long before I ever existed, a man was born so that He could die for me, and the whole time, He had me in mind. That is what Christmas is about and that's why Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

Merry Christmas!

Where Are You When We Need You, Fozzy Bear?

A couple of days ago, I was watching Home Improvement on TV Land for the first time in many years. Naturally it was one of the many Christmas episodes where Tim is trying to win the neighborhood lighting contests and finds funny ways to decorate his house but always loses to the proctologist that lives across the street. I sat there and watched this and started to miss the days when the great ABC primetime shows had their Christmas specials. Pretty much all them had at least one episode where little Timmy stops believing in Santa and at the end, Santa shows up to visit but the whole family believes its like Uncle Bob or somebody pretending to be Santa but the kid doesn't know it. Then after Santa leaves, Uncle Bob enters the room and the family's like "If you're here, then who was that?" and the final scene is little Timmy looking out the window as Santa leaves and then we all feel good about ourselves. I believe I even remember Santa coming to visit Carl Winslow and pretending to be homeless, all so he can restore Carl's Christmas spirit. Those were the days......

And the movies! Man do I miss the sweet Christmas movies of old. Great ones like the classic, A Christmas Story. I mean, it's so good, TBS plays it for 24 hours every Christmas and you better believe my TV never leaves TBS on Christmas day! Or how about A Charlie Brown Christmas, I remember when I couldn't go a day without hearing that creepy choir of kids singing Christmas songs! What about when the Griswolds celebrated Christmas?! How about when that wacky Tim Allen turned into Santa Claus? And how can we forget the endless plethora of Muppet Christmas Movies. My family was always a big on Muppet movies so you bet that we just about them all. Muppet Family Christmas (You had the Sesame Street gang, the Muppets, and the Fraggles all putting aside their differences to make a sweet movie), A Muppet Christmas Carol, Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas (life-changing movie), and The Christmas Toy (Basically Toy Story but with puppets......and just a bit creepier) were what kept me entertained as tiny Adam Davis. And of course, who could forget the timeless classic that has been dubbed as our generation's It's A Wonderful Life. That's right my friends, you know very well what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when that lovable Ernest rescued Santa and Christmas from certain doom in the timeless classic, Ernest Saves Christmas. I mean, what else could possibly top that movie?! Few Christmas movies are as inspiring as Ernest (alright, I'll give you The Nativity Story but that's it).

What happened to our Christmas entertainment? It seemed like every Christmas there was a sweet movie to watch or special that was on. Sure, there's some exceptions now but it's nothing like it used to be. I mean, now you have Christmas movies involving Billy Bob Thorton getting drunk and doing lewd things and quite frankly, that doesn't quite put me in the Christmas spirit. I used to love the last TGIF before Christmas because you knew you were getting some sweet Christmas specials that were certain to warm your heart. We don't really have those warm specials anymore. Some shows have some funny (and accurate) Christmas episodes portraying office Christmas parties like The Office but it's nothing meant to fill you with Christmas cheer. I mean, where are the cheesy animated TV Christmas specials brought to you by McDonald's or Coca-Cola?! Where the heck are the Muppets during the Christmas season?! Have the political correctness police have them all in hiding and the only Christmas movies we have have to be rated R or have to have some sort of Romantic-Comedy twist to it?! You tell me.

Oh, how I hope those days return....

A Now, A Lesson In Hate

Throughout mankind, the world has known evil. They have known evil groups, individuals, and leaders simply driven by their hate. It can be a hate of a religious group, ethnicity, or nation, but one thing is for certain, they want to see the things they don't like eliminated. Such people as:

Adolf Hitler

Joseph Stalin

The Ku Klux Klan

Mahmoud Ahmadenijad

Baby Jesus?

If you read my last blog, you know that I love Christmas traditions. I mean, Jesus is the reason for the season but I also like to enjoy the other traditions like giving gifts, carols, egg nog, etc. But there's one tradition, I'm not a huge fan of and that's having to listen to a bunch of whiners complain about it's wrong and intolerant to tell people to have a "Merry Christmas." That Christmas displays "offends" them because they choose not to celebrate Christmas. This year, atheist groups have put up billboards and taken up ads on buses to spread their message of "Reason's Greetings" and how wrong it is of Christians and secular Christmas fans to try and force our "agenda" of holiday cheer. I was watching the news the other morning and this guy from one of these atheist groups was complaining about how too long Christians have been forcing Christmas on "normal human beings" (I guess, we're the freaks of the race) and spreading the "hate-speech" of Christmas by forcing people to honor a "dictator born a couple thousand years ago." Is it just me or are the anti-Christmas groups even angrier and more obnoxious than before?

Christmas is a federal holiday, meaning that the President Grant signed it in that on December 25th, the country would take the day celebrate an individual that greatly impacted our nation. It's why we have President's Day, MLK Day, Veteran's Day, and yes even Christmas. Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values and the teachings of Jesus have greatly influenced our laws and the Constitution. Not to mention, this country was founded as a Christian nation (oh, now that's just intolerant). The morality that this country was founded on and has sustained us for over 200 years and has motivated the founding fathers, civil rights activisits, and numerous leaders comes back to the life and teachings of Jesus and because of radical judges and legislators trying to rewrite and redefine the Constitution, Jesus is getting the "he-h0" out of our government and now that includes Christmas. Am I saying you have to celebrate Christmas? No. You have the right to do as you please on December 25th, but don't be a jerk to the majority of Americans that choose to just because "it's not fair that everyone else gets to have a deep holiday and I don't." Me telling you "Merry Christmas" is not me spreading hate speech, it's me wishing you a "Merry" Christmas. Hoping that you have a good Christmas with family and friends. I'm sorry if nativity scenes, Christmas trees, and the baby Jesus offends you so much, but you know what? No one is forcing you to celebrate Christmas! If you're really that offended by a Christmas display in Wal-Mart and the sight of a plastic baby just hurts you so bad (because we all know that someone who's entire life was preaching love and redemption is too intolerant to have a holiday), then don't go to Wal-Mart and quit trying to ruin my shopping experience.

I just don't get people like this. I mean, we've always had atheists and people of other religions in this country for quite some time and no one seemed to be all up in arms about Christmas before. No one's religious freedom is being compromised. No one's being forced at gunpoint to go to church and confess Jesus as lord. They're just being wished a Merry Christmas. Seriously, think about the logic behind this nonsense. These particular atheists are upset because of a holiday that celebrates a God that they don't believe in. So basically they're offended by this God they see as fictional. But if this God doesn't exist, how the heck can he offend you?! I mean, what else offends you? Leprechauns? Unicorns? Sasquatch? What? I mean, I'd hate to offend you with more stuff that you don't believe in. I know the "hate-speech" of the tooth fairy leaving a quarter under your pillow hurts you so deep, so I'd really hate to hurt your feelings any more by hoping you have a great Christmas day where we honor the man that actually existed and gave his life for all mankind.

Ya know what? I'm sick of this politically correct nonsense that we've allowed to be trampled on us by people who just need to stop whining and realize that this country was founded as a nation Under God, not beside God, not with God, not above God, but Under God. This whole concept of "Separation of Church and State" that is NOT in the Constitution, but was in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to Ben Franklin to make sure the government does not favor one denomination is completely ridiculous and is taking us down a dangerous path. So if you don't want to celebrate Christmas, God Bless America, that is your right and I celebrate the fact that you have that right, but don't try to violate my right to celebrate because your backbone is so weak that you can't take someone wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Again, as intolerant as it is, Merry Christmas! I don't say that because I'm "intolerant" or I hate people, I say it because I love my God and I love what this day means and I actually want your Christmas to be "Merry." I honestly want all of you to have a blessed holiday this year....unless of course, the word "blessed" is also another form of hate-speech.

Sorry for the rant. I try to avoid blogs with this particular tone to them, but this has gotten flat-out ridiculous. I love my country, I love people, but I love my God much more and right now only one of them is getting it right and it's not my country or people.

What if it Wasn't the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Things are starting to look like Christmas at my house and I couldn't be happier. The tree is up, the lights are on, my Christmas moose sits on the TV in my room, my house is stocked with Sparkling Apple Cider (or as I like to call it, Sparkling Christmas Joy), and the DVD player is stocked with a variety of Muppet Christmas movies! Too many times, Christmas takes me by surprise. It doesn't really hit me until I've seen Christmas Vacation for the 32nd time on TBS that I start to realize I got some shopping to do. So this year, I made sure to prep myself. I made a Christmas playlist on my iPod (with 12 whole songs!), bought my first Christmas CD in....well, forever, and read my first Christmas book in sometime, The Christmas Sweater.

Heck, even at Trailhead, we're getting in the spirit. We're decorating in the best of Christmas ways, but I'll let Pastor Josh blog about that when he's able to do so, we have an awesome outreach at the local homeless shelter in a couple of weeks that I'm pretty excited about, and we had an event for the Elon students where we watched Elf. I mean, sure it was basically just the staff there, but we enjoyed the movie all the same! Finals can put a damper on starting the Christmas season early, I guess. But anyway, as I sit here and marvel at all things Christmas and what makes this time of the year great, I can't help but ask myself this question:

What if there was no "Christmas season?"

Now, I know what you're thinking. Ah man, this is probably going to be another "You should feel bad for enjoying anything not Jesus-related on Christmas, and you should hate yourself because you got an X-Box for Christmas and little Billy in Uzbekistan didn't, and capitalism is pure evil" type Christmas blog. Don't worry this is not one of those blogs. Yes, often times the true meaning of Christmas is overshadowed but that does not mean it's all "of the devil." It just means we shouldn't lose focus of Jesus, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway, originally, Christmas had two purposes. 1. To celebrate the birth of Christ (duh) and 2. To make an alternative to pagan festivals at the end of the year that involved activities that would even be considered inappropriate for the good folks at Cinemax. Jesus was actually born around September/October of 7 or 2 BC and believe it or not, not December 25th, 0 AD so I guess that means that that snow covered nativity scene isn't the most historically accurate depiction of that night.

So I asked myself the other day this hypothetical question. Let's just say we knew for a fact that Jesus' birthday was on September 27th. So already, we can kiss the whole "white Christmas" dream goodbye and don't even think about singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" while snuggling with that special someone by a roaring fire. Let's just say there was no Christmas. Instead, it's Jesus Christ's Birthday. Christians would be allowed to get off work to observe this day, and maybe there'll even be a JCB church service or whatever but nothing out of the ordinary. No Christmas tree, no presents, no carols, no Sparkling Apple Cider, no Ernest Saves Christmas, no Christmas moose, no egg nog, no Frosty, no Rudolph, and you didn't care that this little tree made some block-head's Christmas. All we had was this day to observe the birth of Christ. Just JCB Day. Not JCB Season, just the day. Would we care? Would we get amped up for JCB Day like I do for Christmas season? I mean, cause I'll be honest, the day after Thanksgiving, all my mind is focused on is Christmas. I mean, it is The most wonderful time of the year, but let's say that we don't have these traditions, carols, gift cards, and Christmas specials. Would we really give a rip about Jesus' birthday as much as we do Christmas day? If the only purpose of Jesus' Birthday was just to have one day to honor the birth of Jesus and reflect on the significance of His birth and nothing else, would it be that big of a deal to us? For instance, I used to look forward to Martin Luther King day because I got off school but to be honest, I never took that day to sit down and reflect on the significance of what MLK did to impact America's culture, society, and way of thinking. Is that how we would treat JCB Day? Would it just be a day to get out of school and off work and maybe enjoy a sale here or two at your local department store?

When I first asked myself that question, I couldn't really honestly say yes. I mean, I'm sure I would take time to reflect on Jesus, but I wouldn't be excited for a month about it and spend the whole day just in awe of Jesus' birth. I can't imagine being a kid and not being able to sleep on JCB Eve because a couple of thousand years ago, Jesus was born on that very day.

As cheesy as we've made it sound year after year, Jesus is the reason for the season. Now, I'm not about to campaign to have all things Christmas go away, like Santa, presents, and "Jingle Bells." I love the Christmas season and everything that comes with it. Instead, I'm proposing that we highlight why Christmas is even significant to history, both the world's and ours. Not just the cute plastic baby Jesus in front of the local church, but the Son of the living God who's whole purpose in life was to teach love and life and then die in the worst of ways just so we may have the opportunity to get things right with God.

I'm proposing that we remember why we even have Christmas and treat it in such a way that if everything about Christmas was taken away, we would get just as amped just to simply reflect and honor the birth of that baby 2000 years ago. Again, I think everything that comes with the Christmas season is great as long as it doesn't take over the true meaning of Christmas:

The Birth of Redemption

Merry Christmas!

Wait for the Lord

and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land...

Psalm 37:34