Put Christ back in Christmas

During the Christmas season, I was able to get a copy of a wonderful Christmas sermon “Let’s Keep Christmas” by the late Presbyterian minister Peter Marshall. It is a great sermon for the 1950s, but I really feel it can't be applicable today.

In the message, Marshall tells about the wonderful season of the year. He defies some who, even in his day, were trying to modernize Christmas. He cites things he feels must be in Christmas: the star, the manger, wise men on their camels and angels. He mentions the things about Christmas you can't buy in the store: love, friendship, understanding, consideration, a helping hand, a smile and a prayer.

In conclusion, he gives those famous lines which have been quoted often: “We want to hold on to the old customs and traditions because they strengthen our family ties, bind us to our friends, make us one with all mankind for whom the Child was born, and bring us back again to the God Who gave His only begotten Son, that ‘whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’”

So we will not “spend “Christmas nor “observe Christmas.” We will keep Christmas as it is in all the loveliness of its ancient traditions. May we keep it in our hearts that we may be kept in its hope.

 Dr. Marshall, I fear we have let you, and ourselves, down. We have not only lost the family traditions of which you spoke, but we have even lost the family. There was a time when we worried about the number of couples who were divorced. It is of concern in our day that many have chosen to live together without marriage.

I can’t point a finger because I realize we have not always modeled the successful marriage and family. Also I’m afraid we have not taught enough about Christian union. As a marriage and family therapist, I know it was difficult to equip and or assist couples in successful relationships. If you want a part of this corporate guilt, I’m sure there is enough to go around. Could it be we can’t keep Christmas because we have let some rob Christmas of its truth? These robbers have told us we should not offend anyone; so we should call Christmas a winter holiday which would dictate we say words like “Happy Holiday” rather than “Merry Christmas.”

Out of respect for those of another faith or those of no faith, we are not offending you. We are just celebrating a Christian tradition. My Jewish friends would need to explain for themselves, but I think they observe Hanukkah in the same way in their faith. Those with no faith might let the part of their human nature, which was created in the image of God, cause them to be patient with those who trying to work on that image. 

If I were to leave Christ out and His spirit out of Christmas, where would I get the power to love everyone and have the love and the desire to give gifts? I dislike clichés, but if we leave Christ out of Christmas, we would lose the reason for the season. There may have been a football coach, who after a very sound defeat, told the team, “Just wait till next year.” Is that good enough for you? Well, it’s not good enough for me.