Quote:
Originally Posted by Redeemed
I sort of envy the simplicity that I see in my new Christian friends - to them it's Jesus' birthday, and there isn't a difference between that and a tree, and Merry Christmas, and all that goes with the season (except Santa Claus, maybe, but even then some are ok with Saint Nicholas) How do you all approach this? Can you say "Christmas?" Seriously, I can hardly say the word!
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It is getting hard to remember the phases of "de-tangling" from the LRC mindset that I went through beginning 25 years ago. But I do recall some of your thoughts.
And when reading the paragraph I quoted above, I think that the longer you are away from the LRC, the more your assessment of where those "simple" Christians around are will change.
First, while you will find that some really do equate the tree with the birth of Christ, many, maybe even most within the more Evangelical spectrum, do not. That is not to say that they draw some hard line. But they recognize the trappings of festivity and even secular aspects, and differentiate it from the true "Christmas story."
And at the same time, they note that so much of the trappings are geared to aspects of the nature of Christ and of His people. While flying reindeer and a fat elf giving presents is purely fantasy, the spirit of giving, and The Gift that is celebrated on that day are significant.
Yes, it is easy to get carried away with the trappings and lose sight of the event that it all claims to celebrate. But that happens even in some of the best church "services," including LRC meetings, at times. Like when we get too focused on a musical solo (in awe or distracted), or go too far in parsing four words in a verse into creating an important doctrine that is not the crux of the passage as a whole. (This happens everywhere.)
I'm not saying to just "get with the program" as far as Christmas goes. I am still somewhat laid-back on parts of it after all this time. There's a tree at home, but I would be fine without it. For me, the focus on Christ, on family, and on rest in the form of a kind of year-end sabbath is what I long for the most. I enjoy the truly spiritual music of the season. I'd sing in the choir if my voice was still cooperating (it hasn't been for a couple of years).
BTW. A great non-Christmas song for Christmas is The Servant King. We ended a Christmas service a few years ago with that song followed immediately by the Hallelujah Chorus. The Lord God Almighty Reins!
I'm not big on declaring "Merry Christmas," but I don't find some fault in it. I just think it is too generic to be meaningful. I still joke that we should put the "X" back in "XMas," but say "Christmas" without a hiccup.