December 7, 2018

​I don’t understand what the big deal is. If you are Jewish, tell me “Happy Hanukkah.” If you are Christian, tell me “Merry Christmas.” If you are African American, tell me “Joyous Kwanzaa.” If you don’t prefer any of these, tell me “Happy Holidays.”
I will not be offended. I will be thankful that you took the time to say something nice to me.
 
One of my favorite Christmas memes is the one which addresses the myth of the so-called “war on Christmas”.   By showing respect to those of other traditions, we are not rejecting Christmas. One of my favorite Christmas Scriptures is from the Gospel of John: For God so loved the world that the only Son of God was given. The Love of God made manifest, so powerfully incarnate that even the Magi were compelled to respond. Practitioners of a radically different religious tradition, yet they were touched by the force of God’s power and love coming into the world. When we try to own Christmas and restrict the meaning to that which is consistent with our biases and rules, the true meaning of Christmas is lost.  The meaning of “The Son of God was Born” is somehow too open for some, for it does not define how we want the rest of the story to go. Yet the truth of the story is there. The Son of God was born… for all the world. Why? God’s Love.
 
Merry Christmas!
 
Rev. Jack Mullins