The War on Christmas...It's Not About Coffee Cups!

Whelp, we’ve all probably heard about and seen the new red Starbucks coffee cups.   We’ve also heard certain extremist Christian groups claiming to the world that this is another “war on Christmas.”  However, as a Christian, I can tell you that there isn’t really a war on Christmas (well there is, but it is not because of the lack of holiday symbols on coffee cups, or the fact that it is politically correct to say “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas,” or even the fact that public places like a county courthouse front lawn can no longer have a nativity scene, but more on this later; keep reading!).  All this “war on Christmas” business has more to do with power and supremacy than an attack on a certain religion.

When these Christian extremists cry out in outrage over Starbuck’s attack on Christmas by not placing holiday symbols on their cups this year (yes, that’s what is pissing them off; and, by the way, the symbols are of stockings and candy canes of things of that nature, not religious symbols like the nativity or the cross), what they are really saying is, “We think the only religion that anybody should believe is Christianity!  Our religion is superior to all others.  All other religions are worthless and wrong!”  I can tell you that I don’t agree with this, nor do I think it is true. 

Firstly, to declare that Christianity is the only “true religion” is to place God in a box.  Now don’t get me wrong, as a Christian I strongly believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and is the means that leads me to God, as well as the means that leads me to salvation.  However, to say that this is the only way that God can bring people salvation or lead people to God would be very short sided on my part.  God is far beyond my understanding or any human understanding.  God can’t be placed in a box.  We cannot put human limitations on God.  This is really part of having faith.  The mysteries of God are so beyond us that it leads us to continue to seek out God so that we can more fully understand this God who loves us beyond measure, and (from a Christian point of view) became human in order to reconcile humanity back to God.  But to say that God can only save through Christ is to place a limitation on God.  For me it’s a both/and understanding.  God indeed saves through Christ, but perhaps God saves in other ways (and through other religions) too.  

Secondly, and more politically, no one religion can hinder another religion in this country.  To make everything about Christmas is to infringe on this right of all people in the United States.  And I don’t buy the argument that not having a Christmas tree in your store or having a lack of holiday symbols on a coffee cup infringes upon Christianity; just as working with a LGTBQ person isn’t an infringement upon Christianity.  Why do I believe this?  Well, because in the Old and New Testaments there are passages that talk about loving and respecting neighbors and enemies (Leviticus 19:34; Luke 10:25-37 for example).  To force Christianity on someone or to declare that you cannot work because of a LGTBQ person is not loving or respecting neighbor and downright not Christian!  JESUS IS ALWAYS ABOUT LOVE AND RESPECT!!!

Thirdly, there is a war on Christmas, but it has more to do with the fact that Christmas has become way too commercialized!  Santa Claus has become the idol for Christmas.  Black Friday has become the new worship.  Presents have become the new hope we long for this time of year.  And the worse part about this is that, for most Christians, we buy into commercialized Christmas!  We convince ourselves that you cannot have a “perfect” Christmas without a tree and lots of decorations, presents under that tree that stack up to the ceiling, a huge amount of Christmas cookies and other goodies, and Santa Claus (which, by the way, the Santa we have come to know in our modern age was actually an invention of Coca-Cola.  Notice his suit looks an awful lot like a coke can/bottle.). 

All of this war on Christmas that has to do with pointless symbols and idols is, in fact, causing a war on Christmas because it is taking away from what Christmas is all about.  Christmas is about the amazing gift of God’s grace that penetrates humanity.  It is about the incarnation; God taking on human flesh.  It is about our invulnerable God taking on vulnerability in order to forever and intimately connect us with God.  It is about understanding the magnitude of that gift and how it transforms us, through its love for us, to give of ourselves to each other.  As I have seen on Facebook memes, “If you want to put the ‘Christ’ back in Christmas, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner.”  In other words, LOVE EACH OTHER!!!

So, if you’re going to fight the war on Christmas, do what Starbucks did.  Starbucks, in response to the red cups, donated $350,000 to Lutheran World Relief.  In other words, if you really want to fight the war on Christmas, give of yourself, out of love, in some way this holiday season.  For in doing that, you are proclaiming the hope and love that we find in Christ’s birth.

See you in the conversation,

Pastor Zach

Jesus Politics...It's Not What You Think!

So, this past Tuesday was Election Day, and it got me thinking about the church and politics.  Now, I know several people who believe that the church and politics should stay separate entities.  These people commonly use the phrase, “after all, Jesus wasn’t a politician.”  However, there are also several people who think that the church’s “morals” and beliefs should guide any politician’s agenda.  So, which one should the church follow?  Should the church stay out of politics or guide political agendas?

Well, before I answer these questions, I want to make one thing clear.  Following Jesus is a political statement!  To be a follower of Jesus is to live a certain way and act a certain way towards others.  This is why we consider Christianity to be a lifestyle.  But, by claiming Jesus as Lord, you are also saying that Jesus is the one you’re loyal to and who you are willing to follow.  Jesus is your ruler!  When claiming to be a follower of Jesus, you are claiming that, above all else, you will follow Jesus and not any other government.

Now, I realize that my last sentence is a loaded one.  I also realize that people could misinterpret that statement to mean that Christianity trumps government, which could open up a whole can of nasty worms.  For example, it is this kind of thinking that has caused the whole Kim Davis controversy.  It is this kind of thinking that has caused some politicians to try and use Christianity as a means to oppress others.  They state that they are “following Jesus,” but, really, they are just oppressing others and casting fear to gain power.

To be a true political follower of Jesus is to act exactly like Jesus acted when he roamed the earth.  To be a true political follower of Jesus is to sit and eat with those society has cast aside—prison inmates, the poor, the mentally ill, the LGTBQ community, black people, the woman who had an abortion, people who have gone through divorce, and all those who are oppressed or stripped of power.  It is to love every single person (including our enemies!).  The be a political follower of Jesus is to speak out against oppressive systems that take advantage of other people; to work for peace instead of violence; to value all life above everything else. 

There are conservative politicians out there that talk about making America a Christian nation once again, founded on Christian morals.  Firstly, America was never a Christian nation.  Yes, it was founded by Christian puritans who felt the Church of England had become too Catholic; but, it was made clear in the development of our constitution that our forefathers wanted a land where anyone was free to practice their religion without consequences or punishment.  Secondly, when these politicians talk about Christian morals, they aren’t actually talking about following Jesus.  If they were, then they would have political platforms that dealt more with destroying financial systems that make the rich richer and everyone else poorer; they would be for finding alternatives to mass incarceration; they would be for equal rights for LGTBQ families; they would fight of systems of racism; and they would do everything to promote life for all of creation. 

 Most conservative politicians out there who claim to be Christian and that their faith guides their political agenda are actually using Christianity in a wrongful and hurtful way.  They aren’t living by true Christian politics, but by their own agendas and then using them under the guise of Christianity in order to gain votes and power.  I believe, back in Jesus’ time, he referred to these people as “vipers.” 

 So, as you continue to decide on which candidates to vote for in 2016, just remember, unless candidates are trying to fight systems of oppression; doing what they can to help the poor; supporting the rights of all people; working for peace; and promoting life for all of creation (including all of the earth!); they are not being followers of Jesus, and therefore are not truly using Christianity to guide their political agendas.

*THIS MESSAGE WAS BROUGHT YOU BY THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS POLITICAL CAMPAIGN!*

See you in the conversation,

Pastor Zach