Happy Holidays
Hi Friends,
This was Sunday's Reflection in church and I thought it was blog worthy. It was written by Rev. Susan Ryder of New Covenant Community Congregation. It's a bit long for the blog but well worth the read.
As of a few days ago, 600,000 people had signed an American Family Association boycott petition against the Target chain, because the discount department store put "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" in its advertising copy. Similar boycotts have been started against other well-known stores, including Macys, Kmart, and Sears. Even Wal-Mart, the mega-store founded by Christian conservatives in Arkansas, made the boycott list because a search for "Christmas" at the Wal-Mart website redirects users to a "Holiday" page.
Bill O'Reilly of Fox News has been pretty vocal about this issue, publicly listing retail stores who don't have Merry Christmas as part of their advertising or store displays, though he denies calling for a boycott of the stores he listed. Boycott or not, he's devoted much of his recent air time the past month to what he refers to as the cultural war between traditional Americans and secular progressives (who are evidently not worthy of being called American).
Jerry Falwell is also in on the act, proclaiming to Americans that when it comes to celebrating Christmas this year, "You're either with us, or you're against us." Falwell has put the power of his 24,000-member congregation behind the "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign," an effort led by the conservative legal organization Liberty Counsel, which promises to file suit against anyone who spreads what it sees as misinformation about how Christmas can be celebrated in schools and public spaces. Not surprisingly, Pat Robertson also jumped on the protest bandwagon, recently interviewing John Gibson, author of the book The War on Christmas, on his 700 Club show, and asserting that secularists are trying to force their liberal Marxist views on America by allowing Kwanzaa celebrations in public schools while banning Christmas. Remember, this is the same man who called on our government to assassinate the president of Venezuela. I'm just saying …
You know, all I can say about this recent Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas hoopla is GOOD GRIEF! Well, that's all I can say in polite company anyway. What a ridiculous thing for people to be debating around the country during this holiday season. There are people dying of starvation all over the world, children don't have adequate healthcare, the gap between the rich and poor is widening, AIDS is ravaging the people in Africa, our nation is engaged in a war in which people are dying every day - so how are many Americans spending their time, effort, and energy during this season of light and love and hope? They are arguing about whether or not it was appropriate for this year's White House Christmas Card to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas and organizing boycotts against Target.
How ludicrous. Simply put, this IS the season of many holidays, starting with Thanksgiving, then Christmas and New Year's. So more often than not when I say Happy Holidays, I'm encompassing all of those winter festivities in my sentiment. Also, folks need to remember that are a multi-cultural nation made up of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, and atheists, just to name a few - and as it so happens, for pretty cool spiritual reasons, many religious holidays fall during this time of year, so people are also celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and Diwali. Granted, liberals have gone a bit too far at times in their intolerance of some pretty secular Christmas traditions in public settings, but conservatives need to remember that Christmas isn't the only spiritual observance that occurs in December. So, as Mike Straka of Fox News (yes, FOX NEWS) wrote this week, "just because someone says 'Happy Holidays' to you, they don't necessarily mean 'Screw You' if you're a Christian. I think it's safe to say that the person saying 'Happy Holidays' simply wants to include everybody in the sentiment. Not just Christians. Or did we forget that this is America, where Jews, Muslims, Christians and atheists live in harmony?" Amen, Mike. I just hope Bill O'Reilly isn't your Secret Santa at the Fox News Christmas … err, Holiday Party!
I recently read in USA Today that a woman name Julie West "is tired of being wished 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas.' She's annoyed with department stores that use 'Season's Greetings' banners, and with public schools that teach about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa but won't touch the Nativity story. So last week, she sent a baked protest to a holiday party at her first grade son's school: a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and red icing that spelled out Happy Birthday Jesus. 'Christmas keeps getting downgraded, to the point that you're almost made to feel weird if you even mention it,' says West. 'What's the matter with recognizing the reason behind the whole holiday?'"
Well Julie - let's talk about that. What IS the reason behind the "whole holiday," as you put it? Coming from your singular perspective as a Christian American, is the reason behind the whole holiday about cramming one specific religion, and only that one religion, down everyone else's throat, even though not all Americans are Christians who celebrate Christmas? Hmm, nope, don't think so. Is the reason behind the whole holiday about shopping for gifts for loved ones, which they don't even really need in the first place, at retail stores that have huge "Merry Christmas" banners, and boycotting stores that are trying to be inclusive by saying Happy Holidays instead? Hmmm, nope, I don't think that's it either. Let's see - what could the reason behind the holiday in the Christian tradition be ….? Oh wait, I know. In the Christian tradition, this December holiday is all about the birth of Jesus - the Christ Child born in Bethlehem, the light who broke into the darkness, the Prince of Peace. That's the reason behind the holiday, Julie, at least in the Christian tradition - celebrating the humble birth of a special child who brought comfort and hope to the downtrodden and outcasts of the world. Heck, Julie, according to Luke's Gospel, at Jesus' first public appearance as an adult when he began his ministry, the first Scripture he read in the Temple was that passage from Isaiah, the one that says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners." And then he told the crowd that the Scripture he just read had been fulfilled in their presence. He was the one they'd been waiting for - the one who would bring them comfort and freedom and justice. So maybe all of that has something to do with what the Christmas Holiday is all about. But Julie, if you want to make your holiday about getting ticked off because some people choose to be inclusive and respectful of other traditions by saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, and if you want to make the holiday about baking a "Happy Birthday Jesus" birthday cake - I suppose that's your prerogative. But that's just not what it's about for me.
I realize I'm sounding like Andy Rooney this morning, but I just can't help myself. As I watch news story after news story about this silly issue, I can't help but imagine what our country would be like if 600,000 people took the time during the holiday season to sign a boycott petition against companies who do business with Halliburton, or if Jerry Falwell would put the considerable weight of his 24,000 member congregation behind insisting our government provide health care for all of America's children. I can't help hoping for a country where the focus of an episode of Pat Robertson's 700 Club would be to interview mothers of soldiers who have died in Iraq, or if Julie West of Edmonds, Washington, would use her fine baking skills feeding the poor and hungry of her community, since Jesus doesn't really need a cake.
In our Christian tradition, one of the readings for this third Sunday of Advent is the one I've shared from Isaiah: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me…to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." According to our tradition, when Isaiah made that prophesy, it was a foreshadowing of the claims Jesus would make when he began his ministry, a ministry focused on justice and peace and love. That's what we should be focused on during the holiday season - not pettiness and self-righteousness.
I know I sound more than a little judgmental this morning, and for that I apologize. It's just that inconsequential issues like these really get my dander up, even more so during this time of year, and I felt compelled to speak up about it (though I admit in doing so I've given credibility to the issue in the first place). That said, I shall do my best to put my judgment and sarcastic wit aside, now that I've gotten it out of my system, and focus instead on the best thing I think we can do, as Christians, during this holiday season. And for me, that would be to honor Jesus' birth by continuing in our time the work he began in his time, as our mission statement says. And how can we do that? Well for one thing, we can continue to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor by helping to bring Jesus' good news to the oppressed, working together to bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaiming liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners. That's the message I wish I heard Christians talking about during this time of year.
Happy Holidays!
Rachild
This was Sunday's Reflection in church and I thought it was blog worthy. It was written by Rev. Susan Ryder of New Covenant Community Congregation. It's a bit long for the blog but well worth the read.
As of a few days ago, 600,000 people had signed an American Family Association boycott petition against the Target chain, because the discount department store put "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" in its advertising copy. Similar boycotts have been started against other well-known stores, including Macys, Kmart, and Sears. Even Wal-Mart, the mega-store founded by Christian conservatives in Arkansas, made the boycott list because a search for "Christmas" at the Wal-Mart website redirects users to a "Holiday" page.
Bill O'Reilly of Fox News has been pretty vocal about this issue, publicly listing retail stores who don't have Merry Christmas as part of their advertising or store displays, though he denies calling for a boycott of the stores he listed. Boycott or not, he's devoted much of his recent air time the past month to what he refers to as the cultural war between traditional Americans and secular progressives (who are evidently not worthy of being called American).
Jerry Falwell is also in on the act, proclaiming to Americans that when it comes to celebrating Christmas this year, "You're either with us, or you're against us." Falwell has put the power of his 24,000-member congregation behind the "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign," an effort led by the conservative legal organization Liberty Counsel, which promises to file suit against anyone who spreads what it sees as misinformation about how Christmas can be celebrated in schools and public spaces. Not surprisingly, Pat Robertson also jumped on the protest bandwagon, recently interviewing John Gibson, author of the book The War on Christmas, on his 700 Club show, and asserting that secularists are trying to force their liberal Marxist views on America by allowing Kwanzaa celebrations in public schools while banning Christmas. Remember, this is the same man who called on our government to assassinate the president of Venezuela. I'm just saying …
You know, all I can say about this recent Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas hoopla is GOOD GRIEF! Well, that's all I can say in polite company anyway. What a ridiculous thing for people to be debating around the country during this holiday season. There are people dying of starvation all over the world, children don't have adequate healthcare, the gap between the rich and poor is widening, AIDS is ravaging the people in Africa, our nation is engaged in a war in which people are dying every day - so how are many Americans spending their time, effort, and energy during this season of light and love and hope? They are arguing about whether or not it was appropriate for this year's White House Christmas Card to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas and organizing boycotts against Target.
How ludicrous. Simply put, this IS the season of many holidays, starting with Thanksgiving, then Christmas and New Year's. So more often than not when I say Happy Holidays, I'm encompassing all of those winter festivities in my sentiment. Also, folks need to remember that are a multi-cultural nation made up of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, and atheists, just to name a few - and as it so happens, for pretty cool spiritual reasons, many religious holidays fall during this time of year, so people are also celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and Diwali. Granted, liberals have gone a bit too far at times in their intolerance of some pretty secular Christmas traditions in public settings, but conservatives need to remember that Christmas isn't the only spiritual observance that occurs in December. So, as Mike Straka of Fox News (yes, FOX NEWS) wrote this week, "just because someone says 'Happy Holidays' to you, they don't necessarily mean 'Screw You' if you're a Christian. I think it's safe to say that the person saying 'Happy Holidays' simply wants to include everybody in the sentiment. Not just Christians. Or did we forget that this is America, where Jews, Muslims, Christians and atheists live in harmony?" Amen, Mike. I just hope Bill O'Reilly isn't your Secret Santa at the Fox News Christmas … err, Holiday Party!
I recently read in USA Today that a woman name Julie West "is tired of being wished 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas.' She's annoyed with department stores that use 'Season's Greetings' banners, and with public schools that teach about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa but won't touch the Nativity story. So last week, she sent a baked protest to a holiday party at her first grade son's school: a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and red icing that spelled out Happy Birthday Jesus. 'Christmas keeps getting downgraded, to the point that you're almost made to feel weird if you even mention it,' says West. 'What's the matter with recognizing the reason behind the whole holiday?'"
Well Julie - let's talk about that. What IS the reason behind the "whole holiday," as you put it? Coming from your singular perspective as a Christian American, is the reason behind the whole holiday about cramming one specific religion, and only that one religion, down everyone else's throat, even though not all Americans are Christians who celebrate Christmas? Hmm, nope, don't think so. Is the reason behind the whole holiday about shopping for gifts for loved ones, which they don't even really need in the first place, at retail stores that have huge "Merry Christmas" banners, and boycotting stores that are trying to be inclusive by saying Happy Holidays instead? Hmmm, nope, I don't think that's it either. Let's see - what could the reason behind the holiday in the Christian tradition be ….? Oh wait, I know. In the Christian tradition, this December holiday is all about the birth of Jesus - the Christ Child born in Bethlehem, the light who broke into the darkness, the Prince of Peace. That's the reason behind the holiday, Julie, at least in the Christian tradition - celebrating the humble birth of a special child who brought comfort and hope to the downtrodden and outcasts of the world. Heck, Julie, according to Luke's Gospel, at Jesus' first public appearance as an adult when he began his ministry, the first Scripture he read in the Temple was that passage from Isaiah, the one that says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners." And then he told the crowd that the Scripture he just read had been fulfilled in their presence. He was the one they'd been waiting for - the one who would bring them comfort and freedom and justice. So maybe all of that has something to do with what the Christmas Holiday is all about. But Julie, if you want to make your holiday about getting ticked off because some people choose to be inclusive and respectful of other traditions by saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, and if you want to make the holiday about baking a "Happy Birthday Jesus" birthday cake - I suppose that's your prerogative. But that's just not what it's about for me.
I realize I'm sounding like Andy Rooney this morning, but I just can't help myself. As I watch news story after news story about this silly issue, I can't help but imagine what our country would be like if 600,000 people took the time during the holiday season to sign a boycott petition against companies who do business with Halliburton, or if Jerry Falwell would put the considerable weight of his 24,000 member congregation behind insisting our government provide health care for all of America's children. I can't help hoping for a country where the focus of an episode of Pat Robertson's 700 Club would be to interview mothers of soldiers who have died in Iraq, or if Julie West of Edmonds, Washington, would use her fine baking skills feeding the poor and hungry of her community, since Jesus doesn't really need a cake.
In our Christian tradition, one of the readings for this third Sunday of Advent is the one I've shared from Isaiah: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me…to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." According to our tradition, when Isaiah made that prophesy, it was a foreshadowing of the claims Jesus would make when he began his ministry, a ministry focused on justice and peace and love. That's what we should be focused on during the holiday season - not pettiness and self-righteousness.
I know I sound more than a little judgmental this morning, and for that I apologize. It's just that inconsequential issues like these really get my dander up, even more so during this time of year, and I felt compelled to speak up about it (though I admit in doing so I've given credibility to the issue in the first place). That said, I shall do my best to put my judgment and sarcastic wit aside, now that I've gotten it out of my system, and focus instead on the best thing I think we can do, as Christians, during this holiday season. And for me, that would be to honor Jesus' birth by continuing in our time the work he began in his time, as our mission statement says. And how can we do that? Well for one thing, we can continue to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor by helping to bring Jesus' good news to the oppressed, working together to bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaiming liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners. That's the message I wish I heard Christians talking about during this time of year.
Happy Holidays!
Rachild
