Making A Difference

As the Christmas season gets into full swing, everyone jumps on the bandwagon.  Retailers, civic groups, politicians, educational institutions, promoters of the arts, dance troupes, athletes and teams, Metra, the CTA, and every one and thing in between.  Every one wants to walk in the wake of Jesus’ birthday. 

         

And as predictable as commercials, new Christmas albums and sweets appearing regularly in the coffee room, are Christians bemoaning the fact that the “reason for the season” has been lost, or at least buried, under all the other reasons for promoting the season.  My Facebook page has been peppered with messages that remind me to “Keep Christ in Christmas” and to say “Merry Christmas” and not “Happy Holidays”.  It only takes a few before I start to either ignore the warnings, or resent them!

All the handwringing, shouting and cajoling will not change retailers, or commercial interests.  In fact, too often it reinforces the culture’s opinion that Christ-followers are a bunch of angry, critical, scowling, buzz kill, whiners.   

If we want to make a difference and keep the focus on the true meaning of Christmas, perhaps we should follow Jesus’ example.  Jesus spent very little time being critical and when He was it was usually with those who were representing God’s interests.

Jesus’ way of making a difference was one individual at a time.  He healed those who were blind or crippled and, in turn, those people told everyone they met about the transformation that had come about because of their encounter with Jesus.  He met the Samaritan woman at the well, and she, in turn, went to tell her village about her encounter with him. 

 As for me and my household, we will keep Christ in Christmas.  We will wish people a “Merry Christmas”, rather than “Happy Holidays”.  (When someone wishes me a “Happy Holiday”, I usually respond with “Merry Christmas” and a smile, not a scowl.)  We will remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.  We will extend the peace, joy and love of Christ to everyone we meet.

I can’t change the cultural trends by myself, or by writing something, or by insisting others view the season differently.  All I can do is my part as an individual to represent Christ during this Holy season and let the Holy Spirit do the rest!