I want to point out two things that increasingly annoy me about the Christmas season.
1. The plethora of really bad, unnecessary, cheesy, "Christmas" music that is foisted on un in virtually evey public space and across big swaths of the radio dial.
Don't get me wrong, I just had an enjoyable evening at the MN Symphony last night, and I grew up waiting with joyous anticipation for the day my parents brought out the Christmas music LPs, so it's not Christmas music in general. It's the artists who throw together a 'Christmas" album to fulfill a contractual obligation or as a cynical way to get their fans to buy another record. Recently, I've been taken aback by people who sing the lyrics of the religious Christmas carols, yet who's lives and words demonstrate that the lyrics they sing don't mean anything to them. (The last is a bit of a pet peeve of mine and probably a little to much of a "grumpy old man" thing)
2. The breathless rush to fold, spindle, and mutilate the nativity story so that it gets crammed into whatever the current progressive political narrative is. I have absolutely no doubt that I will hear how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were "homeless" refugees when they were looking for lodging in Bethlehem. Or that they were illegal immigrants when they fled from Herod's persecution to Egypt.
Look, the nativity story is a beautiful, amazing example of God expressing His love for humanity by sending the perfect, blameless Lamb. Instead, it's being made into a prooftext in a tawdry attempt at political gain.
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9 comments:
I wrote about that idea of secular performers singing Christmas carols some time ago, but I thought it was really cool the way that the gospel is getting slipped into people's ears without the singer or the hearer realizing it. "What then?" I concluded. "Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice" (Php 1:18).
But I do share your concern for the gross abuse and mishandling of Christmas.
I hadn’t thought about that and I think that’s s valid point, but I also see that it could make people associate the lifestyle and worldview presented in the rest of the singers catalogue with the message of Jesus.
Mostly it’s just the pointless, cynical, endless covers of songs that were pretty darn good to begin with.
"When you glorify a missionary killed crossing a border illegally to share the gospel,
but demonize a mother tear-gassed for crossing a border illegally to save her children,
maybe your gospel is too small."
~ Craig Greenfield
1. I’ve done neither of the above.
2. Thank you for acknowledging the illegality of crossing the border.
3. I’d point out that this comment is clearly off topic, but being on topic often doesn’t seem that important to you.
"...but being on topic often doesn’t seem that important to you."
Depends who's going off topic on who's blog. Evidently it's cool here.
But to respond to that off topic comment just for a moment, Dan's also acknowledging that others also regard their borders as a line foreigners aren't free to ignore. Note the difference however: We only use low grade tear-gas to repel invaders. We don't necessarily kill them as a first option. The other difference is that missionary was crossing to give. These caravan people are crossing to take.
As to your point 2 of your post (not the comment just above), I've seen two intentional distortions of the Christmas story in the last few days...Dan's most recent post, and a piece by the most stupid Cuomo, Chris. One would think serious, prayerful study would prevent such corruption.
Yes, I’m much more forgiving of off topic comments than others are. Usually this is because realize that real conversations can’t be rigidly limited. However, I’m pointing out the hypocrisy/double standard.
Of course. I meant that it's cool for him to go off topic here, but not cool for others to go off topic at his blog.
Sorry for the misunderstanding, I’m trying to be much more tolerant of Dan and his antics than he is.
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