Just recently at home we started to switch on the DAB radio in the kitchen . There was a conscious decision made that we would "tune in" to a Christian station rather than listen to self indulgent hogwash that comes from most other music stations. The noise buzzed in the background for most of the time with the occasional item catching my attention, that is until the beginning of December when this particular station started its Christmas programme.
Suddenly I was gripped, and started to listen with my attention-o-meter rising to it's highest level.
It began to dawn on me that I was listening to the biggest portion of sentimental hogwash that I had been served up in a long time.
Songs about snowmen, chestnuts, open fires and the mythical character santa clause had replaced the music that was Jesus focused, honouring, praising and declaring the King of Kings.
Short talks using dubious illustrations and making dubious points to fit in with the coming season made up the rest of this seasonal cheese sandwich.
Why is it that some Christians, not all, find it difficult to use this celebration to love and serve humanity in the name and strength of the one who's birth is being celebrated, instead getting drawn into the sentimental hogwash of self indulgent, glutenous celebration?
Maybe the problems that Roman emperor Constantine experienced in the 3rd century A.D. are similar to the situation today. He discovered that he had a lot of unconverted converts on his hands, who had found it economically and politically expedient to convert to the religion of the empire but desperately missed the partying of two of the main celebrations of their time.
The restless and complaining masses caused Constantine, in his desperation to please the people, to declare two new celebrations to take place at the same time as the old celebrations, one in December to celebrate the birth of Jesus and one in the spring to celebrate his resurrection.
Everything calmed down as the people realised that they could still have their two main party times, albeit with different names and a bit of religion thrown in, party to excess was still going to happen, and it most excessively did!! ( you will need to check for yourself to see how Romans partied)
Maybe for the converted convert NOW is time the time to keep the celebration simple, to love the poor, to be a friend to the lonely, to visit the elderly or the sick, to make a place at your table for the homeless or the addicted, to move away from the mountains of food, the stacks of presents and the crates of alcohol, in favour of "a world full of starving, deprived people who are silently and invisibly looking in on the self indulgent, sentimental hogwash, begging for a scrap of food, a rag to keep them from shivering to death, and an answer to their misery, suffering, and oppression" (Keith Green 1979)
Indulge yourself in the true meaning of the season, give yourself to the work of spreading the Gospel! Proclaiming freedom to the captives! Giving them bread to eat and pointing them to the bread of life.
Oh, don't ignore it, Christmas that is, don't join the bury your head in the sand brigade, grasp the nettle, quickly (stings less) and do something positive and purposeful.
