Tag Archives: holidays

Happy Holidays

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I grew up in a family that attended a church of Christ. At the time I was growing up, there were many in the churches of Christ who opposed the celebration of Christmas, though I don’t remember actually hearing this teaching when I was young.

I know the arguments: The Bible never mentions Christmas. The Bible condemns the observance of special days. Jesus wasn’t born in December. The date comes from that of a pagan feast. Many of the symbols are pagan. And I’m sure there are more.

Now, it seems, the fashion is to get upset about “the war on Christmas.” If you want to be trendy, you need to complain when someone says “Happy Holidays,” cringe when someone writes “Xmas,” and howl about the need for public nativity scenes. Maybe these people aren’t the same ones that used to oppose the celebration of Christmas, but I can’t help but see some irony in the whole situation.

I like Christmas as a family holiday. I see it a lot like Thanksgiving, sort of an arbitrary season to spend time with family. I’m glad that it makes some people think of the coming of Jesus; that has to be a good thing.

I don’t think the pagan aspects hold meaning any more. Unless the Christmas tree guy was making a sacrifice to his goddess when he cut the tree, there is no connection. And throughout history, God has taken things that were once used for pagan worship and sanctified them for his people. When there was a danger of confusion, God forbade such things. If there was no danger, God took those things and made them holy.

In Argentina, the greeting is “Felices Fiestas,” pointing to both Christmas and New Year’s (and Epiphany, to some degree). For the religious, both holidays are times to honor God. For those who aren’t, both are times for selfish indulgence. Maybe my fifteen years in Argentina lessened my interest in fighting over “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays.” I’ve seen that whichever one is said, people will continue to be who they are.

The only danger I see is when Christians become hateful and negative at this time of year. Is it worth offending your neighbor by telling him not to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday? Is it worth offending your neighbor by telling him that he has to honor Christmas as a religious holiday? Aren’t we better off living out a Christian spirit and reaching them through love?

So Happy Holidays to you. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And why not? Happy Hanukkah and Joyous Kwanzaa to you. Happy Noodle Ring Day (Dec. 11), Merry Poinsettia Day (12), Happy Cocoa Day (13), Felices Posadas (16), Sticky Maple Syrup Day and Underdog Day (17), Merry Wear A Plunger On Your Head Day (18; no, I didn’t make that up), Happy Oatmeal Muffin Day (19), Merry Games Day (20), Joyous National Flashlight Day (21), Merry Roots Day (23), Happy National Egg Nog Day (24), Happy Boxing Day and National Whiners Day (26), Joyous Visit The Zoo Day (27), and Happy Card Playing Day (28).

Holidays

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Interesting how different times of the year have a different feel to them. For millennia, most of the Western world has built its schedules around agriculture, with planting and harvest defining what would be done when. I would argue that now, in the United States at least, the school schedule tends to dictate things. Maybe I feel that way because I live in a town with three universities, but it seems like most of us find summer to be a logical time for vacations, and the fall has a certain sense of newness to it.

Whatever the case, the holiday season is a special time. For some it’s especially bad, with memories of loved ones who are no longer with them or with exacerbated feelings of loneliness as they see others enjoying the holidays. Some people have unpleasant anniversaries at this time of year, a remembrance of a past hurt.

I like the holidays. I like the music. I like the foods. I enjoy the sporting events. Above all, I enjoy time with family.

We usually go to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving. Even though they live within an easy drive from us, we don’t seem to get over there very often. My sister who lives in the Ft. Worth area usually comes, with some of her family. As our kids get older, schedules get more and more complicated.

Christmas Eve is usually spent with my mother-in-law. In Argentina, Christmas Eve is much more important than Christmas Day; people gather for a meal and stay up until midnight. There are lots of fireworks throughout the evening, with midnight becoming a chaos of explosions and light. We don’t do fireworks in Abilene nor do we usually stay up until midnight, but we enjoy that time with her.

On Christmas Day, we usually drive to San Angelo to my parents’ house. Both of my sisters are usually able to come, along with their families. The house is packed to the brim, but it’s quite an enjoyable time.

We don’t tend to do much for New Year’s. In Argentina, the celebration is very similar to that of Christmas Eve. For the Archers in Abilene, it is usually a much quieter affair.

What about you? Are the holidays good for you? How do you typically spend them? Any unusual traditions in your family?

Additional thoughts on Lent

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Like most things in life, there seem to be two extreme positions concerning Lent. On the one hand, some see it as a sinful manmade innovation that should be avoided by all true Christians. Others see it as an essential part of Christian life.

And, like most things in life, I think the correct answer lies somewhere between the extremes. Romans 14 clearly states that observing special days is a matter of conscience, with room for diversity in the body of Christ. As far as the general concept of fasting, I’m all in favor of it. Admittedly, my beliefs outpace my practice in this area. I think fasting should be a normal part of Christian life. (I did a week-long series on fasting last May)

As far as the Christian calendar, I personally feel that the Christian calendar is a bit contrived, forcing special days to fall on certain days of the week to fit church tradition. I would be more comfortable with some form of the Jewish calendar, working Christian observances into the seasons as seen fit. Easter would be naturally linked to Passover, for example. Why not follow a biblically-based calendar rather than one based on a pagan calendar? Admittedly, the modern Jewish calendar is not exactly the same as that in the Bible, but a lunar-based calendar would bring us closer to the rhythms of the first century, should we wish to approach that.

I have nothing against the observation of Lent, if you choose to go that route, but I’ve seen nothing in that particular observance that leads me to want to practice it.

Questions About Lent

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I’d like to hear some thoughts on Lent. Growing up, Lent was something I was only vaguely aware of. I had an Episcopalian friend in grade school that I remember mentioning it once; that was about the only conscious contact I had with someone who observed Lent.

Lent used to be pretty unheard of in Churches of Christ, but now it’s coming into fashion, especially among younger generations. John Mark Hicks has written a post in favor of observing the Christian calendar. Todd Bouldin has written a whole series: Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4, Pt. 5.

Richard Beck wrote an interesting post which comes closer to reflecting my feelings, entitled Ambivalence About Lent.

I’m still not in. Tell me what you think.

Even though Easter is now cool…

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1166751_43065683…I’m still not into following the “church calendar.” I’m not into Lent, Easter, Christmas, etc. as religious celebrations. Not that I’m dogmatic about it. I don’t mind if people want to spend some extra time thinking about Jesus this week; I’m always for that. I just don’t see it fitting into the way things were set up in the New Testament.

God knows how to tell his people to celebrate something, when to to do it, and how to do it. If you don’t believe me, read Leviticus 23, for example. Or any of the other chapters that talk about religious feasts. I don’t see anything remotely similar in the New Testament. Not a verse, let alone a complete chapter. “But doesn’t Romans 14 say we can observe special days?” Sure, can being the operative word. We can abstain from eating meat, too, but somehow that one hasn’t been nearly as popular. (Except at Lent, but that gets back to the special days)

To me, we have to find the happy medium between walking around condemning everyone around us and trying to imitate everyone around us. I think the traditional church of Christ statement that “We celebrate Easter every Sunday” is true. Unfortunately, some people are only able to “get into it” once a year. That might be something we need to work on.

Hope you enjoy your Easter weekend. I’ve actually got today off, when I was supposed to be working. (Weather cancelled my trip to Nashville) I hope that you find something this weekend that brings you closer to God.

And I hope the same for next weekend, too.

{Photo by Ryan Smart, sxc.hu}