"Thinking Eternally, Acting Locally." - Neal August
To the Shepherds Abiding in the Field, Keeping Watch Over Your Flocks:
Be Afraid! Be Very Very Afraid!
I say this with love but also with frustration.
As a professional messenger it grieves me to no end to see such moments of complete heralding incompetence among you at the very time of the year when more people are reflecting on Christ than any other time.
Granted you are all rank amateurs in comparison with those like myself, but you are far more professional that the sheep you continually shepherd. Thus it would be a somewhat dubious excuse for me to chalk your ineptitude up to simple naiveté, though, I admit, that is part of the problem.
For crissake, lepers and the lame have better announcement skills than your selves!
Every Christmas you conservative shepherds who are admittedly on the fringe of the American Church seem to enjoy the great twirling frustrations you spin yourselves into as you whine and moan about how secular the non-Christian world is during Christmas.
Yes, each Christmas you ascend upon every ever-expanding mode of information dispersal (of which the Angelic Union has thankfully never had to strike over) to decry the fact that the American secular culture doesn’t recognize your particular brand of holiday cheer.
Those of you conservative shepherds who seem to have enough financial support to waste your time proceed to go out and threaten various non-Christian businesses and non-Christian governments not to attempt anything which might be deemed un-Christian during this holiday season; things such as suggesting employees say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” or not allowing a nativity scene or a Christmas tree on particular properties or even not allowing The Charlie Brown Christmas special to be played (which I happen to enjoy).
One can certainly understand why this approach is taken by you shepherds:
1) It works for the ACLU and other interest groups, why not for Christian groups?
2) Surely the fate of the kingdom of God in America rests upon how you all view Christmas and whether you allow the Salvation Army to panhandle (even though most of you conservative shepherds dislike the Salvation Army because it is deemed to be too liberal, ecumenical and focused on the social gospel).
3) It’s not enough that the secular American culture allows you to freely worship God in Christ and preach the Good News; they must be forced to acknowledge and agree with you in this holiday event. Really, why is it you think that it's so hard for non-Christians to acknowledge Christ?
4) It is a lot more fun and easy to gripe and whine than to preach the Good News of Luke 2:14 and 4:18-19.
It’s these last two points which are so interesting to me as an angel. There is this continual historical myopia among you evangelical shepherds (not that it is simply limited to them and not every human and angelic being) that the situation today is so vastly different than it was just the year before you born. Yes, it seems that each of you believe that prior to your own births the entire American culture was completely different with regards to Christmas than it is today. “Back in the day,” you say, "everyone in American cultural life (nearly) recognized Christmas as a Christian holiday. It is only now that our American culture has overlooked this Roman Catholic holiday" that is off by the actual date by some 6 months or so.
A side note:
Actually December 25th is the date of the pagan Roman festival honoring Saturnalia called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun."It is unknown exactly when or why December 25 became associated with Jesus' birth. The New Testament does not give a specific date. Sextus Julius Africanus popularized the idea that Jesus was born on December 25 in his Chronographiai, a reference book for Christians written in AD 221. The identification of the birthdate of Jesus did not at first inspire feasting or celebration. Tertullian does not mention it as a major feast day in the Church of Roman Africa. The earliest reference to the celebration of Christmas is in the Calendar of Filocalus, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome in 354. In the east, meanwhile, Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus as part of Epiphany (January 6), although this festival focused on the baptism of Jesus. Christmas was promoted in the east as part of the revival of Catholicism following the death of the pro-Arian Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. The feast was introduced to Constantinople in 379, to Antioch in about 380, and to Alexandria in about 430. Christmas was especially controversial in 4th century Constantinople, being the "fortress of Arianism," as Edward Gibbon described it. The feast disappeared after Gregory of Nazianzus resigned as bishop in 381, although it was reintroduced by John Chrysostom in about 400. In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas Day was overshadowed by Epiphany, which in the west focused on the visit of the magi. The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne was crowned on Christmas Day in 800. King William I of England was crowned on Christmas Day 1066.
In all actuality, the American (or even the Western) culture has changed very little in their reverence for “authentic” Christmas in the past 1000 years (I should know). Even a casual look at historical traditions (even over the past century) will give evidence of this.
Think about the traditional Christmas complaints:
The TV channels today don’t recognize “authentic” Christmas as they used to.
Nonsense! When have they ever recognized the true meaning of Christmas? Look back at past TV programs from the 50s. Where do they honor Christ? The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, The Jack Benny Program, etc. Where is Christ mentioned? Nowhere. All of them are secular and commercial.
Recall The Charlie Brown Christmas special. In 1965, the show was complaining about over commercialization of Christmas.
BTW – It was the Coca-Cola Company, who asked Schulz (a Christian) to produce an animated Christmas special for television. Schulz, in turn, suggested hiring animator and director Bill Melendez, whom Schulz had worked with while creating a Peanuts-themed advertising campaign for the Ford Motor Company.
You know the Coca-Cola Company. They are the ones who began promoting Coke with Santa in the 1920s.
The movies today don’t recognize “authentic” Christmas as they used to.
Yes, remember all those great Christmas movies of the past: It’s a Wonderful Life (a grossly inaccurate portrayal of angels, but do you see our Union suing?), Miracle on 34th Street (which, in 1947, referenced the commercialization of Christmas), and all those various versions of A Christmas Carol starting in 1935.
BTW – A Christmas Carol, published in 1946, was the first Christmas story written by Charles Dickens. This was followed by:
o The Chimes (1844)
o The Cricket on the Hearth (1845)
o The Battle of Life (1846)
o The Haunted Man (1848)
o A Christmas Tree (1850)
o What Christmas is, as We Grow Older (1851)
o The Poor Relation's Story (1852)
o The Child's Story (1852)
o The Schoolboy's Story (1853)
o Nobody's Story (1853)
o The Seven Poor Travellers (1854)
o The Holly-tree Inn (1855)
o The Wreck of the Golden Mary (1856)
o The Perils of Certain English Prisoners (1857)
o Going into Society (1858)
o The Haunted House (1859)
o A Message from the Sea (1860)
o Tom Tiddler's Ground (1861)
o Somebody's Luggage (1862)
o Mrs Lirriper's Lodgings (1863)
o Mrs Lirriper's Legacy (1864)
o Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions (1865)
o Mugby Junction (1866)
o No Thoroughfare (1867)
Charles Dickens is a Christian.
In truth, when you get right down to it, both businesses (be it Coca-Cola or Walmart, the TV Networks or the film studios, the cartoonists or book publishers) and politicians (be they Republicans and Democrats or Constantine, Charlemagne and William the Conqueror) want money and votes. In order to get these things they will honor what they want to honor and refrain from what they want to refrain. Most importantly, THEY DO NOT WANT TO OFFEND!!!
Particularly businesses, they do not want at all to be involved in either religion or politics. Businesses do not want to offend either Republicans or Democrats. They certainly do not want to offend the religious, be they Christian or not! “The customer is always right, and let’s not get into a situation that makes the customer think that we think they’re wrong.”
But let us say that businesses did honor “authentic” Christian Christmas:
1) Which “authentic” Christian Christmas tradition should they honor? Roman Catholic, Protestant or Eastern Orthodox? Evangelical? Fundamentalist?
2) Should they focus on the shepherds or the Magi or both?
3) What color should each of the Magi be?
4) What color should the baby Jesus be? How about Mary and Joseph?
5) What specific interpretation of the “authentic” Christian Christmas tradition should various businesses focus on?
“They should focus on mine!” I hear you say.
Of course, businesses are quite willing and able to get their selves involved in interdenominational religious disputes. That’s quite good for business.
I recall when Mel Gibson (a Christian) made The Passion of the Christ. Protestant evangelical shepherds complained that it was too Roman Catholic. Protestant liberal shepherds complained that it was too focused on the events and not on the meaning of the events. Roman Catholic shepherds were complaining that it was too pre-Vatican II. Jews complained that it was anti-Semitic. Fundamentalist shepherds complained that it was anti-Semitic enough. I complained that it was too violent and didn't have any angels in the film, but I kept such complaints to myself.
Now imagine having that same dispute over Christmas.
But let us say that businesses did honor “authentic” Christian Christmas in a way that was acceptable to all Christian traditions:
1) Should Nike put Air Jordans on the feet of the Magi?
2) Should Pampers put name-brand diapers on the holy infant?
3) Should the heralding angels hold an Ipod playing the latest version of the Rod Stewart Christmas album? (Do not be afraid of bad Rod Stewart Christmases; we eventually took out John Denver for this reason. Be patient.)
4) Should the stable be cleaned by Mary with a Hoover vacuum?
5) Should the Magi bring an Elmo doll, a DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (a very good adventure film, I think), and a Calvin Klein perfume?
“Of course not!” I hear you say. “That is offensive to my religious sensibilities and it’s the commercialization of Christmas! Businesses should not use the Christian religion to sell goods! Cleanse the Temple!”
Yes, there isn’t any outrage when Santa goes to Home Depot, but imagine if Joseph and a pregnant Mary showed up and got a room at Motel 6 because they’ll “leave the light on for you."
Do you really think businesses want to tempt that sort of fate?
As an anglophile, I frequent the British culture even during the Christmas holiday.
Great Britain (as you all know) has a state-run church. The Church of England is THE church of England and its religious leaders are frequently appointed by the British government. The state-run television networks are dutiful in providing religious broadcasting to the people of England. During the Christmas season, the religious broadcasting provides plenty of religious holiday cheer.
Even more so, the various non-religious television programs are extremely good at devoting their Christmas time to giving the viewing public the true meaning of Christmas.
Yes, the British are traditionalists at heart and have no problem whatsoever in giving public time to religious sentiments of the “authentic” Christian Christmas. Most of the British themselves are not religious even in the traditional and cultural sense of the word but they still have no qualms of televising without derision the view that Christmas is a time to celebrate the arrival of the son of God on earth and will then read the Christmas story from the Bible (I submit to you two recent examples: the episode called “Winter” on the show The Vicar of Dibley and the movie Bernard and the Genie).
Yes, the “authentic” Christian Christmas is recognized in Britain as it has for over 1000 years ... and still the vast majority of Britons are indifferent to Christ on a personal level. Yet, they look “across the pond” to the Western nation with the most commercial of Christmases and marvel at the great percentage of citizens who have a personal relationship with God in Christ.
Therefore, I submit that instead of b*tchin’ about how the secular American culture does not agree with you about how to best interpret and observe this particular Roman Catholic religious observance or whining like a bunch of stereotypical ACLU activists about how you're offended by the lack of “authentic” Christian Christmas observances, why not go out like the good little shepherds that you are and glorify and praise God for all the things that you have heard and seen, and actually tell people the following:
“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10f.)
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)
“The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18f.)
Stop sitting there sulking like a bunch of wounded sheep bleating and begging beneath the table of public cultural recognition when, in actuality, you are the one’s at the table and the culture is spiritually starving to death by your feet. Tell them how they can eat, offer them the food, invite them to the table. Don’t sit there moaning about the lack of corporate sponsorship for the Good News but actually go out and proclaim the Good News.
THEY WON'T KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS UNTIL YOU GO OUT TELL THEM. THEY WON’T KNOW HOW TO INTERPRET AND OBSERVE CHRISTMAS UNTIL YOU GO OUT TELL THEM.
So make like good little shepherds and get the flock out and into the world.
Yours Truly,
The angel, Gabriel, Esq.
P.S. That “bell-ringing” and “getting wings” nonsense from It’s a Wonderful Life is complete rubbish. We do not have wings. Still, you do not see us suing Frank Capra. Water off a ducks back. Anyway, I prefer Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
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