Bah Humbug and Jingle Bells

It is the most wonderful time of the year. People seem to be in a holly jolly mood. Some are dreaming of a white Christmas. Some focus on the spirit of giving with baking and shopping for loved ones. Some like the weather while building snowmen and making snow angels. (People can only dream about these in the heat where I live.) Some are planning Christmas menus to share meals with their extended families. Some are volunteering to help those less fortunate themselves. Some are decorating their homes. 

Over the years, my mood during December has swung from one extreme to the other and back to somewhere in the middle. Some years, I despised Christmas for the commercialism that starts in October; the greed of people focused more on getting than giving, and the overextension of my budget. In other years, I toss all cynicism aside and go all out on decorating the tree, watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music on the radio, and focus on giving the best I can to the ones I love.

This year, I find myself somewhere in the middle. I was excited to put up my Christmas village and had it up in just a couple of hours. Then I put up the tree. The tree has been up for over a week, and I finally put lights on it yesterday. As of writing this, it still only has lights on it. My wife and I have completed most of our Christmas shopping, mostly thanks to her. I take off most of December from one job but work more hours at my second one.

I am not sure why my December moods change so frequently. To tell the truth, the reason does not matter. I love my family and my friends. I love seeing them happy and smiling. My coworkers make working during the holidays better. Like my family and friends, they can put a smile on my face.

People matter.

It is because of this that I do not want to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. It is not just the spirit of giving. Some may not believe this, but I do. The meaning is specifically about what God has given to us. He wants us to have a relationship with Him just as I want with those I love. The thing he gave us was His son, Jesus, to take care of the business that we ourselves cannot do. That business is to pay for our sins by being born into this world, dying, and resurrecting so that we may live with Him. Sin kept us away, but “if you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Christmas is about God’s love for us. Let us celebrate by returning that love to Him and to those around us. 

Religion? No Thanks.

Several years ago, I attended a local concert with a coworker and several of his friends. I was having a conversation with a friend of his that was drinking quite a bit. During our conversation, he told me that my coworker had informed him that I was a minister but not to worry because I was cool. I thought on this quite a bit since that time.

What made me an exception to the rule of being a minister that he did not have to worry? What made me acceptable as being cool? I even asked my coworker about it. The conclusions I have reached may not be completely accurate, but I would like to think I am close.

The statement did not bother me. In fact, I took honor in it. To some degree, this meant that both the church community and the non-churched (for lack of a better term) community accepted me.

Today, people do not like stereotypes. However, as humans, we still have a hard time not categorizing others in a stereotype. Ministers and other “churchgoers” are in a stereotype of being religious. Religious according to Webster’s dictionary is “believing in a god or a group of gods and following the rules of a religion.” I think that is part of the problem. Religious people follow rules. Different religions have different rules. This causes people to judge others based of their particular set of rules.

People do not enjoy others telling them they are wrong. People do not like others judging them. 

What most people want is to be accepted.

If you look at life of Paul in the New Testament, he was very religious. He followed the Jewish religion to the letter. He had such a zeal for it that he imprisoned and killed many who did not believe as he did. He did not understand that loving God and being religious were two separate things.

I look at the how religion has physically killed millions of people. Islamic Jihads killed millions over twelve centuries. The Aztecs had human sacrifices killing nearly 20, 000 people a year. Nero, emperor of Rome in 64AD persecuted and killed Christians for about a hundred years. The list of religious atrocities goes on: the witch-hunts, the Inquisition, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and India’s Thuggee Murders.

Since this is what is on my mind, you must understand that I am a Christian, and my thoughts reflect my beliefs in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Religion is dangerous. Jesus came to love. He came not to condemn people. He came to save them from sin. He did not come to initiate a new religion. He came to set people free. The people that gave him the most trouble were the religious people. They gave him so much trouble that they beat him and hung him on a cross until he died.

Today, many people grew up with certain religious viewpoints. To some degree, whether those viewpoints are valid or not, it is how they continue to live and by which they judge others. You accept people by how you think they should be according to your rules.

Let us be rule-breakers. I do not mean breaking the law or following after some sin. Jesus talked to people that others thought he should not. He taught love in his words and by example. He preached acceptance, not of the wrong people did, but of the people themselves.

Do I have faith? The answer is yes. Do I love, honor and obey Jesus? I most definitely do. Do I follow a set of rules that man has made up to please a God that has given me freedom and liberty? I hope that answer is no. I am not perfect. I try to love and accept without judging. Many times, I succeed. I hope to succeed more in the future.

Is religion for me? I absolutely say no.