Christmas Feelings

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.   Hebrews 11:1

There was a huge billboard on the main drag going into downtown, bought by a local mega-church. The message was very simple: “Feel Your Faith!”

I hated that billboard. Faith is not about feelings.  Faith often exists despite feelings.  To equate the two is dangerously misleading.

Do you feel saved?  Do you feel loved by God?  Do you feel like God is walking with you every step of your life?  If feelings were necessarily part of faith, we’d have a lot to be worried about.  My answer to those questions is “No” too much of the time.  That’s why I’m saved by faith.

This brings us, of course, to the topic of Christmas spirit. I hear it every year from one quarter or another.  Someone just doesn’t feel that ol’ Christmas spirit this year.  That starts the downward spiral of sadness and depression.

“I just don’t feel it! What if I don’t feel it soon?  What if I don’t feel it at all?  Christmas will be ruined if I’m not in the swing of things!”

A recent court ruling allowed a public school to leave its Christmas decoration up. The crowd went wild!  They had won a battle against the ACLU or whoever that scrooge was.  How, I wondered, did they ever get past that nonexistent constitutional phrase, “Separation of church and state?”

It was very easy, really. The school board argued that Christmas is not a religious holiday.  Christmas is observed by many faiths in many countries around the world.  If nothing else, it’s a legitimate day off work and a reason for family gatherings.  It has nothing to do with Jesus or religion at all.

The court agreed.

*sigh*

That is, in fact, the prevalent view in secular society. They don’t believe in the whole Jesus thing.  They just really enjoy the lights, the gifts, the decorations, and family get-togethers.  It doesn’t seem to even dawn on them that Jesus’ nom de plume is part of the of the name of the holiday!

Most Christians understand that December 25 is not the day Jesus was born. I won’t belabor that topic except to say that the common understanding is that the hope was to convert the pagans to come to Christ by supplanting their beliefs with Jesus by making it the Lord’s birthday celebration.

“And listen to this, Mr. Pagan, sir! You can keep your trees and candle lights and gift-giving traditions.  We’ll just put a Christian spin on all of that.  What do you say?  I say it’s a win-win!  Yes, sir!  We’ll have you taking communion and getting baptized and doing alter calls before you know it!”

Yeah…that didn’t work out too well, huh? Pagans 1, Christians zip.

Put Christ back in Christmas? Was He ever really there?

Now I REALLY understand why God told the Israelites to marry within their nation. The minute you start letting a few things slide in the time-honored go-along-get-along tradition, that’s the minute you start becoming compromised yourself.  Marrying outside the faith is the first blink.  Whoever blinks first loses.

As Jeff Foxworthy is wont to say, “If momma aint’ happy, ain’t nobody happy. And if momma ain’t happy long enough, you’re gonna be unhappy…with about half of your stuff!”

If momma isn’t a) Jewish back then or b) Christian now, guess who’s giving in to keep the peace?

Yup, whoever blinks first loses. The pagans didn’t blink, so they got to have their cake and eat it too.  The Christians blinked, and before you know it, they’re playing hot potato with a decades-old rum cake instead of preaching about Jesus.

So what do we do about Christmas? Should we be so worried about being in the Christmas Spirit?  Do we need to place so much baggage on a holiday not called for in the Bible?

I haven’t decorated or bought gifts for a good 6 years. That started as a necessity when the economy and my life took sharp turn south.  Without the nerves from preparing for Christmas and the depression of taking everything down again, I find my mental health vastly improved this time of year.  What had been a necessity has become a relief.

Don’t get me wrong; I miss the childhood feelings. I love the music.  There are times I still would like to go back in time to those delicious memories.

I just can’t help thinking that Christmas has to be something else.

Let the comments begin…

St. Paul’s Funnel

“21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.” Philippians 1:21-26

St. Paul was in a bit of a pickle. He was personally commissioned by Christ Jesus to be the apostle to the Gentiles. He had travelled extensively, starting fledgling churches in Europe and Asia. He’s stoned, left for dead, flogged, shipwrecked, and more. He just kept on going. He was the Energizer Apostle…so to speak.

Paul was in jail, in chains, in Rome, at the writing of this letter to the church in Philippi. In verse 12 of chapter 1, Paul reassures his readers that his current state is really serving to advance the Gospel of Jesus. The entire palace guard has heard his witness. Others have been encouraged to be even bolder in their preaching of the Word.

Paul knows that, if he dies while in chains, his martyrdom will advance the kingdom. He also knows that sitting in prison and writing one letter after another will also advance the kingdom. Furthermore, he knows that his death will be a blissful release from his pains and anxieties of being in prison and not being sure of his destiny. He writes the passage above, saying plainly that he’s not sure which way he wants things to go. He longs for the final union with Christ in heaven. He knows he has a job here on earth.

To be or not to be. That is the question. He leaves it in God’s hands, deciding that his earthly life is of value to his readers.

And here’s the trick – his readers include us. I doubt Paul was looking that far into the future, but his letters continue to reach many more people than those in Philippi, Rome, Ephesus, and others.

Yes, Paul was – and is – the apostle to the Gentiles of all times. How did that happen? God sent Paul on journeys to various places, establishing new churches of brand new believers. He went after it with the same passion he had as a devout Pharisee, determined to stamp out Jesus’ message. Then, when he had plenty of reasons to want to talk to these people, to keep on encouraging them, God leads him to appeal to the emperor as a Roman citizen while on trial before his king. HE COULD HAVE GOTTEN OFF! So he’s then bound over to Rome where he languishes – and writes a lot of letters, which become our a big part of the New Testament!!

He was in God’s Funnel! It started with his early education, which was top shelf, to his zeal as a Pharisee, to his extensive missionary trips, to his trial in Judea, and ended in what may have been a fit of pride when he demands his case be heard by Rome instead letting of the Jewish King sweep events under the rug and LET HIM GO! Paul was in God’s Funnel. He made the most of it. Even if, in my humble, non-apostolic opinion, he gaffed by appealing to Rome. He could have stayed free and made many more missionary trips.

But then we wouldn’t have the New Testament as we know it. So maybe being in God’s Funnel included using a character flaw of pride, a hold-over from his self-righteous Pharisee days, to produce our Bible. Purely a guess on my part, by the way. But no matter what, God has a way of making things work out.

It happens a lot…in The Funnel.