Jon Green

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. This season of the year is often a hard one for me. It's not that I get lonely or melancholy thinking of lost loved ones or anything like that. I get sad because I usually hear lots of comments from Christians, some that I know, others that I don't such as in the media, about how fun Christmas is and how mad they are about advertising campaigns saying "Happy Holidays," instead of "Merry Christmas." What saddens me about this is how much stock we put into how shopping is portrayed.

It seems that we as Christians want for shopping for gifts and going to parties to be recognized as Christian activities, so much so that we're willing to wage verbal warfare for that cause. However, this year something gives me hope. This week I am posting something I read on a blog called "Monastic Mumblings." My hope is that you will read and be inspired to not care about whether Abercrombie or Macy's presents a Christian message for the holidays, but rather to care about taking it upon yourself to embody Christ to your community this holiday season.(I also have a Christmas wish that people will not only read the blogs, but leave comments too...maybe I should go tell Santa)

"Put Christians back in Christmas"

"People have been concerned for a while about putting 'Christ back into Christmas' There have been lots of suggestions offered such as writing government officials, going on a boycott of some company, Cable news crusade, or buying a 'Christmas defense kit' from some ministry apparently consisting of vinyl bumper stickers made in China and costing more than they could possibly be worth.

There is another way to celebrate the Incarnation! We could try doing what He said, and be about His reason for coming here! We could put being a Christian back into our Christmas celebrations!

It was DL Hawker who said: 'People get more upset about the word "Christmas" being taken out of things than the fact that there are people in the world who spend the holidays alone each year and no one even seems to notice.'

Maybe every time we see the word 'Christmas' being left out of something, we should take the opportunity to find a person being left out, and take them in. Leave the world to their political correctness, and let’s just worry about being spiritually correct.

If that isn’t the Gospel I don’t know what is! So this Advent and Christmas season, lets look to [be] positive, rather than complain. What could we do to bring Jesus a bit closer to someone? Be Jesus to those who need to see Him, put being a Christian back into Christmas!"
http://monasticmumblings.typepad.com/monastic_mumblings_a_fria/2007/11/put-christians.html