Watch Out, Bob Cratchit! The Scrooge Is In
Josh December 25th, 2007
So the seemingly ubiquitous idolatry of X-Mass is here. I usually don’t even make 2 entries per week, much less in the same day. However, I’m prompted to do so because I need to declare something:
X-Mass is a HUGE inconvenience.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for family gatherings, eating good food, and even getting gifts. But I am adamantly against the invocation of X-Mass a some kind of Christian holy day, etc. To me, it’s just like having a birthday (and NOT for Jesus, cuz he’s always been around, folks), the Fourth of July, etc.
KEEP IT OUT OF THE CHURCH. KEEP IT OUT OF FAMILY WORSHIP. DO NOT CONSECRATE IT, SANCTIFY IT, or KEEP IT HOLY. Now understand this, I didn’t say keep the truth of the incarnation out of the church. I didn’t say keep the truth of the incarnation out of family worship. That would be foolish.
Those truths are Biblical. But WHY o WHY must His birth be over emphasized at the cost of His death, life, and resurrection? They all go together? And WHY o WHY must it be especially emphasized at a certain point in the year when said time is not warranted by Scripture? Why not recognize, acknowledge, and celebrate it EVERY Lord’s Day, a Day that has been set apart by God (and the only one) specifically for His corporate Worship?
Why is it that on any number (i.e. ALL) of Lord’s Days I am able, if I so desired, to profane it by going to Wal-Mart, yet, on December 25th it’s closed? Why is that people lament having to work on Christmas? They think it a most horrible injustice for an employer to expect his employees to…GASP….work on this day. On top of this, they think it ought to be a PAID day off. Yet working the Lord’s Day is no big deal. It’s just another day.
On top of all this, this making a commandment of a tradition of men further degenerates into superstition of terrible consequences. Consider all the commercials and ads we see about “underprivileged” children and families who “don’t get anything” for X-mass. Well, HELLO, don’t ya think the expectations of getting something of X-Mass is brought up from some false notion that people are, by default, supposed to get something?
Why is it that it is primarily during this season that people are in more pitiable spirits towards widows, orphans, and the poor, but NOT THE REST OF THE YEAR? The last time I checked, Scripture didn’t put a time frame on when we should be particularly concerned with charity. Rather, we are to be mindful of the needs of the poor year around. Notice my emphasis on needs, not X-Boxes, etc. And when I say poor, I mean those who are unable to do for themselves, not those who refuse to do so.
A local bank/credit union is advertising loans for up to $2,000 just fo X-Mass! $2,000!!!! What?! Misunderstand me not, I’m all for giving gifts. And I give them to people throughout the year. But this mass incurring of debt, even and particularly by professing Christians, is a terrible example of salt and light. Have we become so unprincipled that we amass ourselves in long run debt, for the purposes of gratifying a temporary (i.e. X-mass) want of things?
Oh, the depths of our idolatrous hearts. May God grant His Church repentance from her Will-Worshipping Idolatries. Okay, my X-Mass rants, at least in the form of a blog entry, are done for this year.
- Absurd and Ridiculous , Evanjellyfishisms , General , Worship
- Comments(1)
Amen again, Josh! The way peope incur huge debts is also a gripe of mine against it too.
btw, FYI, I seem to recall you are an admirer of John knox? I don’t know if you are aware or not, but on one of my sites, I post Knox devotionals. Not daily I have to say, but as often as able. Its often a lot of work and time consuming, keeping websites going, as I’m sure you are aware!! But I do update them all on a fairly frequent basis. John Knox Devotionals