We live in a post-modern world where even Christmas trees are under attack. For instance, at CSUF in the Titan Student Union, Christmas trees are outlawed becuase they have been deemed of religious nature. Do you know what is allowed though? A Holiday Tree. The difference? A Christmas Tree has ornaments and a tree topper - a Holiday Tree does not.
Now personally, I find this ridiculous because Christmas is far from a religious holiday. In fact, its roots go back to the Romans and Paganism - but Constantine and the Christian Empire adopted this day to celebrate the birth of Jesus (a great thing for us to do). But, since our culture is no longer that of Modernism and Christendom - this holiday in America is far from religious in nature. Importantly, I don't think that is a bad thing because Christians have used this as a way to stop living missionally. We began to expect that people would be willing to hear the gospel message or show up to church twice a year - Christmas Eve and Easter. We began to expect that uttering the very words "Merry Christmas" was a witness and that by putting up a nativity scene in our houses it was enough. I believe our adamant stance on Christmas and Christianity began to be a downfall and even a supreme example of how comfortable we had become inside the West and thus became lazy.
All this is stated, does not mean that I think what we had was wrong, it was just a different time in a different culture. What I do think it lead to was laziness and comfort (something Jesus warns against). What it lead to now is where certain sects argue over the right to say "Merry Christmas" or sing religious Christmas Carols in public schools (it was a story on AOL a couple of days ago). This is not what I believe Jesus had in mind when He told us to be the salt and light of the world.
Now, while I don't feel the need to fight over the un-Churched world about those things; I do feel the need to propagate the notion of how important it is to live missionally during the Chrismas season (also known as Advent). There's a short, great book entitled Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? by Rick Mckinley, Greg Holder and Chris Seay that gives tips about how to live a contrasting missional life that is showing a different picture then that of the cosumeristic culture we live in. So, I highly suggest making that a read.
But, after going through this Christmas season I've learned something - Christmas provides plenty of opportunities to live missionally and here are just a few:
- Christmas Parties: Need I say more? Go to them and hang out with those who are un-Churched. This is a great way to establish relationships and even show them something different. You might even be able to invite them to your church, or your house, or talk about what Christmas means for you. The possibilities are endless.
- Generoisity: There are many ways to play this one out, but the main key is to be GENEROUS! GIVE! Give to families you have a relationship with where you see needs. Be generous with your time and money.
- Joy: Coming up with one word for this one is tough, but "joy" is a good word. Do you show "joy" to the un-churched? How do you carry yourself? Do you let he holidays stress you out? How do you treat employees at the stores? To put another way, can people tell from one interaction with you during this season that you are filled with "joy"? *note: we should always have joy - but, at this time of year when the holidays should be happy and people freak out, joy can make a huge difference and lead to many conversations with strangers...
- Christmas lights: Now, some places won't allow it - but go big on your Christmas light display. Make it bright. Make it fun. Make it interactive where people want to pull their car over, or want to make a trip to see your house. Make it welcoming. Make it a place where they want pictures of it. Make it a place where they want to take friends to. Now, some people may not have the heart or the ability to do this I understand. But for those who can, turn your house into a missional Christmas display. One day, I hope to be able to give away Hot Coco and other goodies, all so I can better engage in conversations and build relationships. Heck, one day I'd even love to set up a giving booth where they can donate money and all the proceeds go to either Advent Conspiracy or some other credible, quality charity. All this with the purpose of getting to know people.
This is what I mean. Let's put Jesus back into focus during Christmas, don't worry about putting "Christ" back into "Christmas". Live missionally inside your community, your neigborhood, your city. Look for oppurtunities to use Christmas as a means to build relationships and let them see a life that demands an explanation - one that only Jesus can provide.
