Finding Balance in Christmas Celebration

How de we make Christmas joyously special without it either paganizing it or becoming too commercial? I have grown more and more concerned with the question over the years. I am more deeply convinced the denial of Christmas fun is not required by us who share the deepest faith of Christmas!

Our challenge is to find and show the way to a holy and happy celebration of the season. I’ve carried into my Pastoral leadership the conviction that such traditions can be applied without allowing world mindedness to clutter our celebrating. A Spirit led congregation embraces Christmas; rather than embarking on a crusade against it that will do more harm by traumatizing kids & trampling on traditions. This reactionary posturing is worse than “scrooging.”  It does not allow a chance at accomplishing anything lasting, other than breeding bitterness and turning people off toward the church. However, a church family can convert many of our cultural traditions to serve the interest of evangelism and spiritual training.

Therefore, my Christmas prayer for all of us is;

~ The wisdom of God, that we might discern the times and seasons we are living in

~ For the Spirit of celebration (the Holy Spirit) to help us; prophesy like Zacharias, to give like the Wise Men, to shout like Angels, and sing like Mary!

~ That the truth of Christmas becomes liberating and filled with warmth of the love of our “Father’s” family. The church would be overflowing with the joy of Jesus, spreading a Holy contagion over everything we do.