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Christmas: Love and Truth

 


Christmas, “its practically here!” (The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, 2000). Every year the holiday comes as marker, a never changing reminder in a world full of whirlwinds of change. Lots of slogans get thrown around like “Keep Christ in Christmas,” and “Jesus is the Reason For The Season.” All of these are noble and worthy. But I must contend with those who try to destroy Christmas, claiming evergreen trees are Celtic and pagan, when they used oaks, and the evergreen tree was involved in a miracle with St. Columba. Yes the Pagan Saturnalia and High Solstice happens around Christmas, but that is the point, the holiday was made to be a healthy spiritual option for Christians. Those claiming you shouldn’t celebrate Christmas because of pagan roots are simply Scroogies. The holiday marks the celebration of our Lord’s Birth. That is a good thing! And it encourages people to be cheerful and bless one another. Again all good things! 


I have written extensively about what to avoid during Xmas. I have talked about the dangers of the usurpers and pagan folklore that can creep in, you can read those posts. But there is an equally dangerous thing to avoid, that is quenching the Spirit of the Season. In our quest to keep Christ in Christmas we do not want to become Pharisees, “straining a gnat, and swallowing a camel.”  (Matthew 23:24). There is vigilance, and then there is legalism. We mustn’t let our desire for purity turn us into Puritans who actually banned Christmas. Its a balance, keep a loving and kind heart while being vigilant for the Truth. This time of year is suppose to be a celebration of “Joy to the World,” not another “War on Christmas.” Sometimes I fear we have allowed our Christmas crusades to become so entrenched, we lost the love of the season and of each other; spending our time like Inquisitors looking for fault. Yes heresy and error must he confronted and we must stick to the Scriptures, bur Remember those scriptures say, “speak the truth in love.” (Ephesians 4:15). Yes love and Truth must be like a figure eight, or else love becomes boundary-less (chaos) without truth and truth without love becomes a harsh sword. 


Jesus our God and Savior is both Love (1 John 4:8) and Truth (John 14:6). So we must likewise not become hardened steel (legalists devoid of love) nor greasy (liberals who have no boundaries and truth). We must this Christmas be like Christ, love and truth. For without truth love becomes a shadow of itself, a couple in love who lies and does not tell the truth is not loving each other and in the same way truth without any love, becomes a harsh judge that doesn’t give people a chance to reform or have an epiphany about what needs to change.  


Lets make this Christmas both, love and truth; where we hold fast to the Truth and yet love those who fall short and need help to reform. Amen. 

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