The Reason for the Season / December 2005

This is the time of year when all the malls and stores put out the decorations and promote their best sales. This year seems to have many of the same elements we have come to expect. The same elements are of course the lights, the tinsel, and the commercialization. But there are some new twists. The merchants put out their Christmas stock right after Halloween and didn’t wait for Thanksgiving. We also have a serious challenge to the "Reason for the Season." It has to do with the actual greeting of wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas."

Several large chain stores such as Wal-mart, Target, and others are refraining from using that expression, choosing instead to say only "Happy Holidays" or "Season’s Greetings." In fact, some are renaming the famous "Christmas Tree" as the "Holiday Tree." Some schools have decided that the Christmas break should be called the "Winter Break" despite the Federal Holiday of Christmas. This has caused some real controversy with the "Reason for the Season" folks. It seems that the merchants clearly do not want promote anything to do with "Christ" or "Christian" things. They have completely dropped the pretense of being inclusive and not wanting to offend other peoples of different faiths.

While I do not endorse Christmas trees nor the Catholic observance of the birth of the Christ, I am not applauding this public decision. I see an anti-God agenda here. It goes right along with not wanting the Ten Commandments displayed. It strikes me as another evidence of the world’s love growing colder. It is a clear step in the direction of actually hating God and people who believe in God.

Let me shift gears for a moment. Actually, this is the time of the year when I have to be careful strolling through the malls and large crowds of regular folks. Many of you have not seen my photograph nor my physical appearance. Let me break the code on how to recognize me in a crowd. I look like the guy who is dressed in red and white this time of year. I have the beard, the glasses, puffy cheeks and the girth to match. If I were to wear a red shirt and put on one of those hats, it would be a Kodak moment.

When I do go to the mall during this season, small children suddenly stop walking with their parents and get that deer in the headlights look. You know what I’m talking about. Their eyes are as big as half dollars and they have one of two reactions – stark fear or a beaming smile. It is awe-inspiring which ever way they go.

It has not really been a problem for me, but I have had my moments. And I must admit that it seems that with each year of advancing age the frequency of those moments are increasing.

I once walked into a chicken place for lunch and overheard a young mother say the words, "No, he is just a man that looks like him." She was seated with a young man approximately four or five years of age. I couldn’t help but sense this youngster’s eyes studying me intently.

I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I finished my lunch and walked to their table en route to the door. "Have you been a good boy?" I asked. They were both speechless. As I exited, I let out a holler of a laugh. In my car, I could only imagine the discussion as I watched through the window at their obviously animated conversation.

I actually had a professional Santa Claus chase me down in a mall once to give me his business card. "We have a union and everything now! We make actor’s rates and they cover all expenses for three weeks. Besides, you’re a natural!" There are those moments in ministry when I feel weighed down. I have humored myself with the other employment option. "I can always get seasonal work in the shopping mall."

One particular moment came with only adults and no children present. I was making an airline flight from Oklahoma City to Omaha one middle of December. Standing at the counter to get my boarding pass and seat assignment, the clerk immediately asked, "Only going as far as Omaha today sir? Are you sure you don’t want to go farther North?" The question struck me odd. I was traveling a lot those days and was concerned that I had the right day, the right tickets, and the right trip. I fumbled with my answer, checking my ticket, and then responded with "Yes, just Omaha today." I wasn’t getting it yet.

The clerk’s next statement was even more baffling to me, but everyone else seemed to get it. "My assistant here has been a really good girl this year, Sir," as he nodded in the direction of the female airline clerk standing beside him. While the two of them smiled and the people around me chuckled, I finally caught on. It was all very spontaneous at that point. I picked up my boarding pass, reached in my pocket, put on my Kippah and announced, "You know what’s really funny?" I had their rapt attention. "I’m a rabbi!" The holidays decorations did not outshine their red cheeks and startled looks.

I am one of those Messianic believers who grew up with the family holiday of Christmas. I remember the goodness of family time, the tree, the egg nog, and the surprise and planning of gift giving. I have many fond memories of the past. Christmas for me then wasn’t theological; it was family.

There was one year where I went for nine weeks prior to Christmas not eating lunch at school. I secretly took my lunch money, saved it, and used it to buy Christmas gifts for my family. It was the only way I could devise to get some gifts for them. However, my teachers and family found out what I was doing. My teachers observed me eating whatever my friends didn’t want to eat of their lunches. My teachers then called my parents wanting to know why I was not eating lunch at school. My mom found the hidden lunch money in my sock drawer. My sister knew the purpose of my plan and told them. Instead of confronting me, they watched me steadfastly and faithfully fulfill my plan. One dollar and twenty-five cents a week was not a lot, but after nine weeks it added up to be enough to get some "surprising" gifts. My father received the least, he was stunned to receive a 67 cent ball point pen. It was from him that I learned that everyone knew what I was doing. I had the spirit of giving and others observed my example that year.

When I made the transition to a Messianic believer, I soon began to understand the theology behind many traditions. In particular, I learned where Christmas really came from. It wasn’t difficult for me to leave Christmas – I was never there theologically to begin with. But, I didn’t leave the goodness of family time behind. My children have grown up with Hannukah (which is cultural) and our holiday observance has been very family oriented. We still enjoy the family meals, the egg nog, the candle light and the fire place. We exchange gifts too. We experience eight nights of family time together with blessings. I still get to have fruit cake and all the potato latkes I can eat.

When my son, Ephraim, was about seven years old, his neighborhood friend grimaced when he discovered that Ephraim didn’t get to have Christmas. "Oh, that’s so sad, Ephraim," he said. Only to have Ephraim respond, "No man! Sad for you! You only get one day for Christmas. I get eight days with Hannukah!"

For those of you who are in transition, taking on a Messianic testimony and ceasing from the Christmas observance, I offer this consolation for your families who don’t understand. For most Christians, Christmas is not the Catholic holiday of "Christ Mass." It’s a cultural thing. It’s a family thing. Christians, even Bible believing ones, don’t understand that mixing ancient religious rituals compromises their faith (1 Cor 8). They don’t honestly understand that putting a decorated tree in their house is an act of idolatry (Jer 10). They are not aware of those Scriptures. It really is a lesson for all of us. When we read of the ancients falling into idolatry, we don’t understand how they could have done such a thing. We have only to look to Christmas to understand how good people could have fallen into Idolatry.

Therefore, we who are Messianic need to be careful and use understanding whenever we explain what we observe or don’t observe. In particular, we need to be careful how direct and forceful we offer our testimonies concerning this time of year. Your mother and father, as well as the rest of your family, care for you and want to maintain the goodness of that relationship. Your theology will appear to be more of a meat cleaver to them, cutting them off from you, than the truth that you have been pursuing.

If you are still observing Christmas and trying to understand the Messianic teaching, take courage. The journey from Egypt and Babylon to the promised land is long and arduous, but it is good and appropriate. If you have made the transition and are now trying to find the fellowship of others, be encouraged! We are here and we understand. This year, the first night of Hannukah begins on Christmas day.

As a Messianic believer, I have struggled with store clerks offering me a "Merry Christmas." I prefer a simple "Happy Holidays." I am not opposed to recognizing the birth of the Messiah. I teach that He was born during the Trumpets and Tabernacles (September/October) time frame, not in December. Christians, for a long time, have held a majority position with cultural expressions of their faith in public places with all the merchants participating and the town square setting up a Nativity scene. But times are changing. The voices of those who are opposed to our God are growing stronger. Christians, especially here in the United States, still live in a fantasy world of a jolly ole guy sliding down chimneys with gifts to place under a Christmas tree. Santa’s famous expression of "Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!" is exactly that – an expression from a fantasy story for children. Even Christians know that, don’t they?

I am standing up against those who are opposed to our God. I am not, however, going to defend an expression out of a fairy tale.

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