The Holiday Infant

Brian Shipman wrote:

The Holiday Infant

The hot topic among Christians during Christmas 2005 was the insistance of secular culture to remove Jesus from the center of attention.

Happy Holidays replaced Merry Christmas.
The Holiday Infant replaced Baby Jesus (in a skit poking fun at the whole problem on Jay Leno
Military Chaplains had their prayers "graded" by monitors and were told not to pray in Jesus' name.
Churches grappled with whether or not to hold services on a Christmas Sunday.

The Church has responded to these "problems" in a variety of ways.

Some churches used their outdoor signs as weapons to insist that "Jesus IS the holiday." Aided by media with an obvious divisive agenda, churches hurled self-righteous indignation at those that chose to suspend Christmas Sunday services, calling them hypocritical - saying that they have bowed to secular pressure. Christians gathered in small huddles to condemn the world for not acknowedging December 25 as the birthdate of Jesus. Military chaplains pursue legal action to demand that their prayers be allowed to contain the name Jesus.

My goals in the face of this excommunication of Jesus, whether real or perceived, is to avoid any appearance of self-righteous indignation. I have been placed on this planet with much the same task as Mary, the Mother of Jesus. I am called to give birth to the Lord that lives inside me. And I must do that in humility and respect - regardless of the attitudes of those around me.

Self-righteousness has no place in the life of a Christian. Unconditional love for those who do not know or care about Jesus has every place in our lives.