There was a time when Christmas seemed almost magical. You could feel something in the air. A spirit of warmth and love permeated the atmosphere, thawing even the coldest hearts. Strangers acted like friends. People were more kind and caring. You felt an impulse to help people and to reach out to the less fortunate. Your heart was moved with every Christmas carol played throughout the stores, shops and radio stations.
A hearty "Merry Christmas!" even from a stranger warmed your soul and made you feel good deep inside. It was as if people were saying, "Hello, neighbor and fellow human being — God loves you and so do I!"
You don't sense those sentiments today with the politically correct version of the season's greeting: "Happy holidays!" Those words don't touch the heart or stir the soul. "Happy holidays!" sounds more like, "Have a great office party … don't spend too much money … don't drink and drive … hope you don't feel too lonely and left out."
"Happy holidays!" has no substance, no life. At best, people are trying to include everybody of every faith and religion so nobody will be offended. No one will feel left out — even those with no faith at all. At worst, it's another example of our culture stripping every shred of religion and faith from public consumption. Secularizing Christmas doesn't make people feel better about life. Quite the opposite, it leaves an empty hole where there used to be a shining star of faith and hope.
As a child, I remember how upset my parents would get when local Christmas tree stands used the abbreviation "Xmas" for their signs. Mom would complain, "You can't take Christ out of Christmas!"
Perhaps you can't, but people are sure trying. Our culture wants us to shop for "holiday trees," attend our children's schools' "winter concerts" and of course, students get to enjoy a "winter break." Christmas is being erased except in the malls, stores and online shopping. Charles Dickens' character, Ebenezer Scrooge, would feel right at home.
No matter how sincere we say it, "Happy holidays!" will never impact humanity. It only skims the surface of our existence. It's void of meaning. It has no message that penetrates the human heart. In the attempt to include everybody, it touches nobody. A secular existence — life without God — has little meaning. And God designed it that way. God created humanity with a deep, gnawing hunger to know that we are loved and that our lives have a purpose beyond our daily existence.
God's Christmas message in the birth of Christ is profound: "I'm for real! And I love you so much that I left the glory of heaven to come to Earth as one of you — a human. I lived among you and eventually died on a cross so that by trusting in Me, you can experience the fullness of life the way I designed it — both today, and forever!" The repentant Scrooge got it right in the end: "I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." May we come to the same conclusion. And from my family to yours, Merry Christmas!
The Rev. William Thomas is pastor at Hereford United Methodist Church. He can be reached at pastor@herefordumc.org.
