This past semester at the University of Alabama has been academically, emotionally and spiritually challenging. It’s been my toughest semester so far. Being home, being calm, has given me time to ponder freely for the first time since the heat of the summer. Between the holiday season and having time to think, I’ve realized something that shocked even me.
I really don’t like the phrase “keep the Christ in Christmas”. I suppose it’s not the phrase itself, but the ones who use the phrase. Stick with me, give me a chance to explain.
I am from central Alabama, the deep south, the heart of the Bible Belt. I could not be more thankful for the life and location I have been blessed with. But, blessings come with irritating truths as well. I have mentioned this in almost all previous blogs; being from this area means widespread knowledge of basic biblical principles, events, and stories. We have created calloused hearts to the raw truths of the gospel, raw truths that change those who hear forever. Unfortunately, for the majority of our area, the Word of God no longer yields a new creation or divides the soul and spirit. Has the Creator of the Universe, the God of our ancestors, the Savior of the world forsaken us? Has He transformed with the advancing of age or switched course like the ever-changing winds? No, absolutely not.
The problem is with the people.
As we all probable know, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Hundreds and hundreds of years before his birth, he was prophesied. God himself, the creator of Heaven and Earth, was to send his son to be the Savior of all humanity. Immanuel, God with us, came to Earth through a virgin proving Christ to be 100% God and 100% man. Joseph, the man who raised Jesus, was a man of great character and honestly, many of us hold a greater social standing than he. The Messiah was thought to come as a great king or conqueror, but God came as a lowly babe and was raised as a carpenter’s son. Christ came forth the linage of David, just as the prophesy foretold, but he came humbly. He came with no name to boast of, no heritage to brag on, and no riches to display. Most importantly, Jesus came to bring us life and purpose. He lived the life we were meant to and died the death we deserved. Thank you God that the story doesn’t end there. He rose from the tomb three days after his death, the grave could not hold the King! Jesus is the only reason anybody on this planet even has the opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven with God the Father. If the reality of the Savior, Immanuel, Messiah, Prince of Peace, King of kings and Lord of lords coming from nothing doesn’t touch your heart, I pray it will.
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! -2 Corinthians 9:15
It is so blatantly obvious that Christ deserves Christmas as a celebration of God’s gift to the world, but that’s not what the day has become. (Btw, this is not a blog bashing Christmas as a holiday glorifying American consumerism. I’m not intelligent enough to write an entire piece on that.) Anyways, earlier I stated the problem isn’t with God, it’s with the people. (Now, I’m getting into why I don’t appreciate the way that phrase is used) I’ve observed a problem in people, starting with myself. The very ones who repeat “keep Christ in Christmas” in conversation and social media are, for the most part, the ones to blame for Christmas losing its spiritual origin. Here’s the point, Christ will not remain in Christmas if the 359 days before this one day are spent apart from Him. The Word of God says “Remain in me, as I also remain in you”1 and “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”2. These are promises made to those who follow Jesus and they do not just apply one day a year. Scripture commands us to remain in Jesus and he will remain in those who believe; remain means to “continue to exist”. This may come as a surprise to some, but visiting church on Christmas/Easter does not constitute as continuing to exist with Jesus. If we were to keep Christ in our Saturday nights and Monday mornings. in the forefront of our hearts and minds, and in our everyday lives- “keep Christ in Christmas” would not have to be said, it would be known.
The Bible is full of call after call for people to follow and do life with Jesus. Peter, a fisherman, was called to follow Jesus while at sea. Paul, an executor of Christians, was called to follow Jesus while he was traveling. Levi, a tax collector, was called to follow Jesus as he was working in the market. Mary Magdalene, a demon-possessed woman, was called to follow Jesus after he exorcised her. Lydia, a business woman, was called to follow Jesus while listening to the teachings of Paul. Rahab, a prostitute, was called to follow Jesus while protecting servants of the Lord. All of these examples have one thing in common; when called, they devoted their entire beings to the work of the Lord. These people were called while they were in different stages of life and seasons of year, just like modern day followers of Christ are called. But, they sacrificed their whole lives, every day of every year to glorify and spread the beautiful message of salvation that only comes through the gift of Jesus. If Christmas was an established, celebrated holiday in the time that biblical events took place, I imagine there to be no exchanging of gifts or catch phrase to remind them of the reason for the season of celebration. Everyday of their lives were lived worshiping the greatest gift of all time, everyday was spent abiding in the Lord, everyday was Christmas. Oh, what joy our generation would gain if boxes and bows would not have replaced the love of God shown through the gift of his son, Jesus!
Unfortunately, this complete abandoning of self and abiding in Christ is considered radical Christianity in our modern, comfortable world. Our generation accepts little of what God has to offer and gives of themselves even less. We are looking to sacrifice just enough to erase our guilt, but not enough to interfere with our lives. We are looking to collect maximum benefits of following Christ, without actually following all of what we claim to believe. What a shame it is that we knowingly choose to disregard the riches and satisfaction found in Christ alone in the name of another god that sits on the throne of our hearts, the god of self. The god of self tells us it’s okay to not surrender all we are to the one, true God. The god of self deceives us to believing we can be our own source of salvation. The god of self says good deeds and being a good person is enough to gain entrance into Heaven. The god of self establishes our comfort zone. The god of self says ourselves alone are enough. The god of self says we don’t have to sacrifice. The god of self encourages us to be one with the world. The god of self says the Sundays are for us. The god of self says church is not vital to our faith. Let me tell you this, the god of self is a liar.
Jesus Christ, the reason we celebrate Christmas, was given as a gift to mankind and he was given to be the head of the Church. Jesus was sent to Earth to reign, not as a successor king to an undeniable dynasty, but to reign as king of our lives. If we truly accept Jesus for all he is, he lives in us. Despite popular belief, the Church is not made to benefit those who already follow Christ, but for those who do not know him. The church equips and empowers the body of Christ to act as Jesus did in a lost and dying world. Jesus came to heal the physically and spiritually sick, just as the Church created for this purpose. The Church is not built of wood and brick, but it is built of people who chose to follow Jesus. A church building is a place of fellowship, rest, encouragement, prayer, discipleship, and learning for the Church; it is vital to the health and maturation of a Christian. I have no words to stress the importance of being an active member of the Church, a church, and understanding the difference between the two. It is not a secret that the American church is weakening, it’s evident in the direction of our nation. I believe the weakening church is attributed to the idea that church holds little to no importance. Fewer and fewer families are becoming actively involved in a local church, resulting in less involvement in local ministries, yielding less involvement in the Great Commission which is to go and make disciples of all nations. All nations begins right here, right where you are. Many people no longer see the relevance of attending church services. Maybe the churches you have visited have fallen into these categories: “they don’t have what we’re looking for”, “they don’t host many events”, “I don’t like the preaching”, “it’s too long”, “it’s too early”, “it’s boring”, or “I don’t like the music”. You know what I would say to that? The church is not for you. The church is not meant to cater individual needs; rather, individuals of a church are meant to serve the needs of the community-- that’s being the body of Christ, that’s being the Church. It’s terrifying to think the American church is diminishing because of the lack of entertainment for its people. Parents who are now choosing not to raise their children in church and choosing not to teach them the responsibilities of the Church are only becoming part of the problem. It is estimated, 80% of children after age 18 never or seldom return to church. I fear that number is on the rise because of parents, who were probably raised in church and raised to know the importance of Christ, do not want to be inconvenienced with weekly services that do not satisfy their wants. I am afraid that a generation is rising that do not know Christ and his gift of salvation. I am terrified that my generation is going to be content to settle for the American dream rather than live the life we were called to live by God. I am fearful that my generation will mistake following the rules for following Christ. I am burdened by the truth that my generation needs a reminder of why we celebrate the holy occasion of Jesus’ birth.
I am just a girl who is tired of hearing “keep Christ in Christmas” from those who refuse to keep Christ in their lives.
1. John 15:4
2. Galatians 2:20
“My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear Jesus’ words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical obedience to Him.” -David Platt, Radical
I would love to hear from some of ya’ll!
@hollifieldkelly
hollifield.m.kelly@gmail.com
