I noticed something that sounded out
of place, and it took me a moment to place it: the cashier was wishing everyone
a Merry Christmas.
It struck me as odd, as virtually
every restaurant and store out there typically opts for "Seasons
Greetings" or "Happy Holidays" at this time of year, instead of
"Merry Christmas," – a nearly universal practice, I should add, that
affects my life and my walk with Jesus in absolutely no way whatsoever.
Sure enough, a manager of some type
came over and very gently corrected the cashier: "I'm sorry, hon, but we
need to say 'Happy Holidays.' It's corporate policy, and we don't have a
choice."
The cashier was annoyed.
"But I celebrate Christmas. And it IS Christmas. We
celebrate Jesus at this time of year."
The manager was patient - her hands
were tied. "I know, but not everyone does, and we have a corporate
policy that we have to follow."
The cashier was fuming, and the
manager finally moved along. "MERRY CHRISTMAS," she continued
to growl to every customer. She was obviously making a point.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS," she snarled at me as I arrived for my turn.
"This is ridiculous. Stupid politically correct nonsense.
It's CHRISTMAS. I will NOT let ANYONE tell me to stop celebrating
Jesus."
And with that, another round of the
great “War on Christmas” was over. I'm not exactly sure who won - but it
was over.
We hear a lot about the War on
Christmas at this time of year. Apparently, Jesus is being pushed out of the
conversation, and Christians are being persecuted, all because we want to
celebrate Jesus’ birthday.
Interesting, though….the last time I
checked, the vast majority of Canadians still do celebrate Christmas. The
government has put no limitations on the celebration of Christmas for citizens,
and the entire nation still takes December 25th as a federal holiday, even
those who don't celebrate Jesus personally.
Yes, many businesses do ask their
employees to take a more multicultural approach to the holidays, understanding
that some citizens are Jewish, Muslim, etc. - "Happy Holidays" is a
true enough statement - there are many different holidays being celebrated at
this time of year.
"Well, if I were in Israel, I
would expect them to celebrate Hanukkah. If I were in India, I wouldn't
get all uptight if people wished me a Happy Diwali. I wouldn't get mad if
Muslims celebrated Ramadan while I was in Saudi Arabia." We've heard
this before.
And it is certainly true. I
agree 100%. And yet - at the same time -
if I was living as an evangelical Christian in India, I would nonetheless
consider it a wonderful courtesy if the citizens there didn't angrily try to
force me to acknowledge their holiday. Were they to be considerate that I
was different from them, I would consider it a beautiful show of hospitality
and kindness.
What is more - and this really is
the more important part - most businesses are not Christian businesses.
They are secular. Thus, it is not their job to proclaim Christ at Christmastime. That job lies
solely in the hands of the believer. It is our job to keep the "Christ" in "Christmas."
And if the Church is really depending upon secular corporations to acknowledge
and proclaim Jesus for us – even if they don’t believe in Him - then I think we
have missed out on a major part of our mission.
I have a theory: Jesus told us that
we would be persecuted (Mt 5:12; Jn 15:20). And yet, in Canada, we really
aren't persecuted at all. So, some have grabbed onto any affront that
they can find, and held it up as true persecution. But it's really not
the same. This year, Christians in Pakistan were murdered by the dozens
when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a church just as services were
emptying on a Sunday morning. That is not the same as a store clerk
wishing me "Happy Holidays!" instead of "Merry Christmas."
First-world problems, right?
And as a side note - I'm not sure
that growling and snarling about Christmas is the most effective way to impress
those outside the faith. Were I them, I don't think I would want to join
that club. There are many people out there who do not believe or acknowledge
Jesus as Lord. Trying to force them to acknowledge Him has proven
to be a very poor method of evangelism in Church history, and in its extreme, has
occasionally led to horrific things (e.g. the Crusades). Arm-twisting, anger,
and frustration are poor ways to share the Gospel of love, indeed!
So, God bless Canada! We are a
multicultural, incredibly free nation, where many different perspectives are
given permission to be explored. I believe in the Lordship of Jesus
Christ, and I truly hope and pray that everyone will find the joy in following
Him that I have, and the salvation that He offers. It is a wonderful time
of year to celebrate Jesus, and everything that His birth means for a hurting
and broken world.
So, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I say that, because it is my job to do so!
