I can tell a lot about someone from the greeting card I receive, can you?
No, I am not checking the back of the card to see if it is a genuine Hallmark brand card. I am looking at the picture and the sentiment, and the title greeting if there is one. And no, it is not my marketing background that causes me to scrutinize each card.
Somewhere along the way I became more aware, more sensitive, of the real meaning of Christmas, and when I did I stopped purchasing cards with wintry scenes, baby animals, Santa in his sleigh, and cozy home scenes. I also stopped buying cards that say "Seasons Greetings" and "Merry Xmas" because I am a Christian and I wanted to keep the Christ child in Christmas.
Many Christians and Jews are caving in and sending cards with generic holiday greetings.
I have a longtime friend who is Jewish. When we meet by chance during the holiday season he always greets me with "Merry Christmas" and I greet him with "Happy Hanukkah". I appreciate his commitment to his faith, and I think he appreciates mine. I recognize that he and I believe in the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but I embrace Jesus Christ as the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament and he doesn't.
Do I see him as being wrong? Actually, I don't. I feel as though he just doesn't know the rest of the story . . . he stopped reading at the 5th book of the Old Testament. And there is so many more stories, all building to the story of the birth of the Messiah.
And what a story it is! From the beginning God knew what a bunch of skunks and rascals we are and that we couldn't do it on our own. We needed a saviour, so he sends His son in His place. But, what is so fascinating to me is how, over and over, God uses the most unlikely people, the most ordinary of people, the most ordinary of situations.
Instead of sending His son, a king, off to live like a king and be raised by other kings, he sends him off to be raised by an ordinary family. Carpenters. Tradesman. Not exactly the upper crust of society. Biblically it is suggested that as a man, Christ is unremarkable in appearance, possibly short, not quite the rock star we would expect the son of God to be.
Yet thousands followed him from place to place, hanging on His every word.
If my friend sent me a Hanukkah card, by no means would I be offended. In fact, I would welcome the card as a reminder that, like me, my friend is a faith based person celebrating his traditions, each of us journeying through life trying to follow our rabbi and live the scriptures to the best of our ability. And I would reflect that in a way we have travelled on the same spiritual path . . . we share the same God, the same creator, and together we look to Him for guidance.
So, to my Christian friends, Merry Christmas. To my Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah. To both, may the blessings of God flow down and cover you and your family this season and may He bless you richly!
To those of you who are non-believers, well . . . Happy New Year.
We need to keep Christ in Christmas.. I'm not sure why so many forget this.
Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season. I'm so glad I know Him.
You've been MIA?? Hope all is well.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
Roland: Thanks for your comment. People forget because He is not in their lives all year. That's the tough part about being a Christian. You have to be one 24/7. Sometimes we fail but we are only human and not perfect, just trying to follow in the Master's steps. His sandals are hard shoes to fill. We can't do it alone but need not only Him but each other. And when we fall, we must allow Him to help us back up. People stay away from church saying that they need to get their act together first when that is the exact opposite of what they need to do. If the churches were filled only with the pure, the pews would be empty. Christ came to heal the sick, not to hang out with the well. He came to save the sinner, not the righteous. Christ came for me, and He came for you, and He came for others just like us.
Merry Christmas, Roland.
Doreen: Yes, it has been crazy and I have been MIA from the rain. I thank God for friends like you. May He smile down on you and may you hear His laughter this Christmas season!
What a wonderful post. The audio visual, but most importantly the content. Merry Christmas.
Very well written. It really bothers me that retailers are trying to take Christmas out and replace with Holiday. I always say Merry Christmas to everyone.
I don not use the phrase "Happy Holidays" except for a couple of friends that are of a different faith, in respect for them as they do during thier holidays!
Jay: Thanks. Hope you had a Merry Christmas and will enjoy a prosperous 2009. Thank God for giving you what you have; Trust God to give you what you need.
Cindy: I have chatted with more than a handful of Christians who have been impacted by the housing market - from real estate people to contractors and mortgage professionals. Many of them have seriously reduced their "holiday" gifting and instead concentrated on quality, not quantity.
I had someone tell me today that their children understood that this year was going to be different, and the gifts they did receive were more appreciated than ever before.
If the retailers are so worried about being politically correct, I guess that they can't complain too much when Christians pull back and spend less.
William: Respecting another's religious beliefs goes a long way to building understanding and creating tolerance between faiths. However, Christmas is a Christian celebration and Hanukkah a Jewish observance. We should not allow anyone to detract from either observance and tradition, hence the Christmas / Xmas controversy.