Jezebel's Judgmental Christmas Spirit

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When the website is named Jezebel.com, one expects some irreverence and sarcasm. There is a bit of that, but the greater surprise is how closely the headline hits the mark by proclaiming, "Churches Admit They’ve Lost ‘War on Christmas’ by Canceling Christmas Day Services."

I remember my Christmas Eves at church as having an aura of the supernatural. We sat among comrades, not fellow attendees. Upon leaving the warmth of a candlelit sanctuary, the night sky was filled with starlight or snowflakes. Either way, creation was adding its testimony that provision had been made for Peace on Earth. I wanted that legacy for my children too. Each year it got harder to find a church that was committed to a reverent celebration.

2011, with Christmas falling on a Sunday, Jezebel declared, "churches are actually canceling or scaling back services on Sunday so that their parishioners and clergy can spend the day doing more Christmassy things like opening presents, eating, and watching Wal-Mart commercials with The Nutcracker Suite playing in the background." It is far more likely that it was a Proctor & Gamble, automobile, or cell phone ad, but except for that, she was right. Apparently folks don't want to be beleaguered with the effort of worshiping as a community on Christmas.

Jezebel ends her commentary with a pair of emblematic questions. "And if churches aren't really observing their own religion's holidays anymore, can we really call them churches? Wouldn't it be more accurate to just call them Song Singing Judgment Societies and be done with it?"

I will spot her the "Song Singing" part, but beyond that, can someone PLEASE explain to me where the Judgment comes in? From this spot along my rabbit trail, the view is one of Misjudgment, or possibly Lack of Judgment.

Footnotes ♦ Ryan, Erin G. "Churches Admit They've Lost 'War on Christmas' by Canceling Christmas Day Services." Jezebel, 23 Dec. 2011. http://jezebel.com/5870856/churches-admit-theyve-lost-war-on-christmas-by-canceling-christmas-day-services

Officially Winter

Winter comes tonight at 12:30 am EST


...and it is 64°F at midnight, and tomorrow is forecast to be warmer than today!

Solstices have always held a fascination for me. For awhile, I was cowed into feeling guilty about that because, face it, pagans have co-opted and corrupted these celestial holidays. But this year I found liberation in the form of a vocabulary word: naissance.

Naissance by itself (according to dictionary.com) means "a birth, an origination, or a growth, as that of a person, an organization, an idea, or a movement." I ran across this word when it was used to describe the biblical figure of Job as a Naissance Man, as opposed to a Renaissance Man, who would be re-naissance. (I have since learned that Naissance also happens to be the name of a maternity shop for belly dancers, but I digress.)

Job and his friends were Ivy League scholars of their era. They understood what we call natural science better than many scientists today, and they mixed it seamlessly with philosophy which gave them a broad outlook that is often lacking in this era of specialization. The Book of Job is a naturalist's extravaganza offering many insights about creation.

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years." Genesis 1:14

Job and friends were fully aware of this. It is not a pagan thought. He clearly knew the difference between celebrating the grace of his Creator and idol-worshiping creation.

²⁶ If I have looked at the sun when it shone Or the moon going in splendor, ²⁷ And my heart became secretly enticed, And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth, ²⁸ That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above. Job 31:26-28

There is a grace that is accessed by knowing God in His creation. Finding enjoyment in His planning for for seasons is not an iniquity calling for judgment. Denying me the freedom to celebrate the strengthening of His Light might be.