It's the day after Epiphany. I took down the Christmas decorations in my study, and so now is a good time for a reflection on the 2014 edition of the War over Christmas. Once again, the Facebook was replete with aggressive posts from otherwise quite pleasant Christians stating their intention to forcefully wish "Merry Christmas," with all vim and vigor, on any who might dare say "Happy Holidays" to them, no matter the circumstances. Despite the evident fears of many that Christmas would be abolished by presidential executive action (which I do not share), Advent and Christmastide progressed unhindered. Thanks to Redbox, the curmudgelings were even able to see A Charlie Brown Christmas for the first time.
Also for the first time that I can remember, all the "War on Christmas" rhetoric actually began getting to me. I began to fear that saying "Merry Christmas" to a store clerk would be taken as a deliberate assault in the culture wars, and so chose to continue with the monosyllabic grunts I use year-round whenever leaving the house. Thus it was Mrs. Curmudgeon who, at the check-out at the local purveyor of bargain-priced organic produce, accidentally let slip a "Merry Christmas" and saw the clerk visibly flinch. Christmas is surviving the War on Christmas just fine, but civility is definitely a casualty.
I'd call it ironic if I weren't fond of irony, so let's call it sad instead. The Church has historically celebrated Christmas so we might have twelve days to focus on the remarkable fact of the Incarnation. At any time of year, we should marvel that the infinite God became a finite man, and the Creator thereby honored and affirmed his own image as it is found in all his human creatures. How sad that Christians choose to dispense with civility, a basic expression of our Fifth Commandment duty to honor our fellow image-bearers (Shorter Catechism #54), at precisely the season when our Lord's model of goodwill should be foremost in our minds and conduct.
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