Merry Santa-mas?

It’s that time of year again! Put up the tree, hang the lights, wrap the presents. Don’t get that warm and cozy feeling just yet… We are inundated with commercialism this time of year, and it’s even infiltrating our churches. 

From brandsizzle.com

I know that many “Christians” get angry with anyone that wishes them “Happy Holidays” and then scream at them about how we must say “Merry Christmas.” Of course, there is nothing wrong with sharing about the reason for the season and the meaning behind the holiday, but to show such anger towards others about it is not showing a Christ-like love for others. 

Many churches will close their doors for Christmas this year, even though it falls on a Sunday, because they want people to be with family. Isn’t Christ and our brethren family? “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it” said Jesus in Luke 8:21. Who (or what) is most important to you on the day set aside to celebrate the birth of our Lord? 

This holiday’s secular traditions are also beginning to seep into the house of worship. I know of at least three churches/ministries in my area that had a major focus on “Santa” making a visit. The world shoves Santa down our throats from Halloween to December 25^th every year. Going to church should be a safe haven from that because there is supposed to be a focus on Christ!  

The slogan every year is “Keep Christ in Christmas” but I think many professing “Christians” are more concerned with putting presents under their tree and keeping a smile on their kids’ faces. Have you examined your own holiday actions and asked yourself if you’ve kept Christ in Christmas? 

I’m not trying to say that celebrating this holiday or its traditions are wrong, but we need to stay focused on Christ. Without Him as the centerpiece, we might as well go back to the original roots of the holiday… before it was chosen as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We can be so easily side-tracked by the glamour of Christmas. It’s time to stop worshipping Santa, the man in red whose name is awfully close to another guy that distracts from Jesus Christ.