CHRISTmas

Listen, this column is going to be very uncomfortable for some of you but at this point I don’t care. Something needs to be said, and it’s high time I said it.

I’m offended, extremely offended, and for good reason. I have lived in this town for 19 years now, and though my family moved to the county this year, I have spent enough time, and tax dollars, to have a say in this one.

Christmas is a Christian holiday; is there anything about this that is confusing or hard to understand? This is a Christian Holiday, based on Christian faith is Jesus Christ; that and the celebration of His birth.

This is not a season. A season is a meteorological effect induced by the sun, and its position in our horizon; it is also something you put on steak. It is not; however, a type of greeting you put on a banner and hang in our square for visitors to see as they enter our town during the Christian holiday of Christmas!

I have, in the past, been the type of believer that would just let these little infractions pass without comment or consideration…but that was then. I am older and wiser, and bolder in my faith than I used to be, and this “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” stuff is weak and feeble; not to mention offensive to my faith.

All these people who take offense to the proclamation of Merry Christmas are not worried about offending me with their beliefs; seems like they give it no consideration at all!

Take Halloween for instance; this little pagan holiday has been allowed to flourish for centuries without the first thought to whom it may be offending. Heck, even Christians will celebrate this one.

The Chamber of Commerce, city, and local shops all join together with glee to insure that the children, all dressed up like blood sucking ghosts and ghouls, vampires and demons, get to walk around the square in search of free candy; all of these greeting you with a “Happy Halloween,” and without worrying about who they might upset.

Yes the local officials all lay down like a cold body at the altar of Stonehenge for the celebration of “All Hallows Eve” but they are scared to offend at the Celebration of Christmas.

The Word of God states in John 15:18, that the world will hate us because of our faith. It will hate us and the world hated Him. So when exactly did the church decide to get into this popularity contest? We should not be concerned with who we are upsetting with our faith; we should in fact expect to make people uncomfortable with the truth of Jesus Christ. The Christmas holiday should be no exception.

It’s so funny to me how the economic power of this event seems to ever grow stronger, while all the while so does the political correctness.

Look, the shopping malls are so eager to take full advantage of people’s good will; so are the local businesses, banks, city and county governments, just to name a few. Local governments will tell you that they have to purchase expensive banners that say “Seasons Greetings” because of the separation of church and state.

You want to be separate…don’t celebrate the holiday at all! Stay open for business, make your employees go into work, stay away from the decorating thing and let the local churches decorate the square as we see fit (you might actually see manger scene in public again, and just go about your everyday business; after all, this isn’t your day is it!

Do that if you must, but don’t take a cowardly stance during the celebration of the birth of the bravest man who ever lived.

“Merry Christmas” is what the banners should say; what they must say! No matter who it offends. If they are offended by Christmas then tell them to ignore it and abstain. Take back the presents, re-freeze the turkey, take down the tree, and go watch the game. But do not tell me that I have to watch what I say or who I offend with my faith!

And do not hang a banner over our town for all to see, that proclaims to the visitors who come into our square, that our leadership has no backbone and are ashamed of their savior…ashamed to the point of making a decision based on not wanting to offend anyone with the words “Merry Christmas”…during Christmas!

Just for the record, my name is Jason Parr, I am a born again, spirit filled believer in Jesus Christ, and I am humbled by the opportunity to celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, who died on the cross of crucifixion for the forgiveness of my sins.

And let there be no mistake…I am a sinner, I am the scum of the earth when it comes to my flesh and my ability to grieve my heavenly father. I am not religious, worthy, highly educated, a doctor of theology, good, perfect, better than you, holier than thou, churchy, or even a good Christian. I’m a bum…a bum who is daily in need of a savior; a savior who for some crazy reason still loves me, and for that I am overwhelmed.

Jesus loves me, forgives me, never gives up on me…and I will not ever be ashamed of Him…no matter who it might offend.

Merry Christmas!