Keep Christ In Christian
2023년 12월 10일Keep Christ In Christian
< Second Sunday of Advent >
At this time each year, we see signs both online and in real life, reminding people to “Keep Christ in Christmas.” This is no doubt in response to the secularization of Christmas over the years. Bells, ribbons, trees, lights, snowmen, reindeer and Santa Claus are everywhere. So the reminder to “Keep Christ in Christmas” is no doubt aimed at merchants and advertisers and ordinary people to remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” To be fair, so much of the ads and sales urging people to buy have nothing to do with the teaching, much less the person of Jesus. But if the general population no longer associates Christmas with Christ (even the the origin of the word Christmas is “Christ’s Mass”), it’s not so much the fault of merchants as is it is people who identify as Christian but whose words and actions do not reflect the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In recent decades, self identified “Christians” behave in the exact opposite of Christ’s teaching. These days people may be anti-immigrant, pro-death penalty, white supremicist, antisemitic, arrogant, selfish, power-hungry racists yet proclaim they are Christian. And these are the ones who use their version of Christianity to run for public office. No wonder people would rather see Santa Claus than Jesus Christ. It’s up to us to proclaim the true gospel and teaching of Christ: freedom to prisoners, deliverance to captives, food for the hungry, sight to the blind and good news to the poor. Our job is, not just during Advent but the rest of our lives, to ensure that Christ remains, not just in Christmas, but more importantly, in Christian.