By Jeff Goins, Editor
Remember those “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets? I hated those stupid things… but I’m sure that I had one.
Given the time of year, it bears consideration: What would Jesus think of Christmas? Would he appreciate how his birthday is being celebrated – with elaborate dinners, decorated houses, sprinkles on cookies, and lots of presents? The Jehovah’s Witnesses would say definitely not. And they’ve got a point.
There’s an aspect of Christmas that certainly has nothing to do with Christ. In fact, I have a friend (who’s not a Hovey Jovey) who kind of stopped celebrating the holiday, because she realized that how she was doing it had nothing to do with Jesus. I respect her for that.
Personally, I started losing faith in Christmas a long time ago. It wasn’t just the Santa Claus myth, but it was more than that. I think that part of it was my growing up and longing for my youthful bliss and naivete. Part of it, however, may have been that Christmas without Jesus really is pointless.
Now, I’m not talking about debating whether or not you can sing Christmas carols in public schools of contesting the use of X instead of “Christ” (as in “Merry Xmas!”). Those are a bit petty issues when you consider who Jesus really was – God in human flesh, come to dwell amongst those who would scorn and reject them, all out of a motive of love. Now, that’s something worth celebrating.
And I don’t know of a better way to celebrate Christmas than to do the things that Jesus did – to spend time with the poor. I had the privilege of singing Christmas carols with some of Nashville’s homeless last weekend, and I’ll remember the beauty of that moment for awhile, I’m sure.
Like many of you, I’ll be celebrating Xmas (FYI: the “X” represents Christ, in case you didn’t know) sitting around a tree, exchanging presents, and stuffing my face. I can’t say I don’t struggle with that. Part of me will enjoy the fellowship, the rest, and the joy of giving. Part of me, however, will silently been pondering what Jesus would think of Christmas. I think that part of me will be humming the words of Todd Agnew’s song On a Corner in Memphis. It’s a song about singing about grace in church and wanting to be out on the streets, seeing opportunities to extend grace to the unloved. Here’s an excerpt:
And what about this Jesus?
They say He drank with the poor and the blind and the lame
Do you think He’d like the songs that we sing?
Or would He feel the same as I do?
What if Sunday School was on Saturday night?What if their heart-breaking cries of pain
Are the first hymns of tomorrow’s saints?On a corner in Memphis, we’re singing with the old man
Crying for his sorrows and laying down our pride
He’s telling us our story, or at least his side
With no need to pretend and nowhere to hideOn a corner in Memphis
We’re singing out our sorrows
He’s telling us his story
With no need to pretend and nowhere to hideOn a corner in Memphis
Jeff graduated from Illinois College, a small liberal arts school, with a degree in Spanish and Religion. He lives in Nashville, TN. He works for Adventures in Missions, edits this silly little magazine, and loves to do new things. He just got married in January. Check out his blog: Pilgrimage of the Heart.