At the gym this morning I was interrupted by a news report that caught my eye.
The story was about the outrage that Christians are showing over a billboard put out by the group American Atheist saying “Who needs Christ during Christmas, Nobody”
The outrage that ensued on Fox News was expected, and the Christians reaction was good with a subsequent witty billboard:
The problem I have with both sides is I believe the atheists, although unintended I’m sure, are on to something.
Every Christmas seems to be about the same. We begin complaining about it coming “earlier every year”, and the common response when you ask someone how things are going is “busy”.
Who needs Christ at Christmas?
If the billboard was truly a question the answer is everybody, but I think there is a much deeper question. The question I ask myself is where is Christ in Christmas and more often than not the answer is: Nowhere.
As I sit and wonder what this means I remember the first Christmas . The one that Christ WAS in. I bet if you asked most anyone who’s birthday it was the answer wouldn’t have been Jesus. I am sure that there would have been precious few that would say the day was cause for celebration at all because, after all. This was just a baby, right. A baby of little consequence to the world.
What about the 34th Christmas? Was that a little different? Some 8 months after Jesus had surrendered his life to the cross to save us from our sins. The man that had performed so many miracles the man that had risen people from the dead. Did people take notice that “Christmas” day?
And today. Where is Jesus? I went to the mall with my family to see Santa and while it felt a lot like the wise men must have felt on their journey at the end there was no worship. In fact maybe that is a lot what it was like. My kids sat on his lap and asked this old man to give them a bunch of stuff that they probably wouldn’t use in a year (if that long).
Quite the opposite of what Christmas is like with Christ in it, right? The wise men didn’t sit on the lap of Mary or Joseph and tell them all the things they wanted. NO. They brought HIM gifts. They bowed down and worshiped Him.
So the atheists are on to something. They are simply identifying the culture in our world today. The culture that is so hard to fight against for both Christ followers and non-Christians alike. The fight to find a meaning beyond all the hoopla. And they are right in saying what most people are feeling during this busy season.
So my challenge to you is to stop persecuting the atheist for stating the obvious cultural belief and start living like the wise men who came with gifts for a baby King and worshiped Him for the ultimate gift He would give us by giving His life to save us from our Sins…a gift we do not deserve.
So if the true “meaning of Christmas” according to americanatheist.org is ” family, friends, charity, food, snow.” Then count me out, I’m in it for a birthday party.