“They pretend to worship me, but their worship is nothing more than the empty traditions of men.” (Matthew 15:9 TPT)
I’m already seeing Christmas stuff in some stores. This reminds me of how warped our society can be about holiday traditions. There are some Christians who insist that there is a ‘war on Christmas’ because some businesses have chosen inclusive phrases that acknowledge that there are other holidays in December. I am not sure how a picture of Santa Claus with the words ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ is any more acceptable than the phrase ‘Happy Holidays’ imprinted on a card or a cup.
Holiday traditions such as decorations, cards, gifts, and food may bring joy and feelings of camaraderie, but they bring us no closer to God. Pretending to worship the Lord while worshiping empty human traditions is hypocrisy. Neither religiosity nor ritual behavior equals holiness. As Christians, we need to focus more on putting Christ first in every day. If intimacy with Christ is our goal, then we must pursue a life aligned with His purpose, suffused with trust, and devoted to truth.
Well said! I would go even further to say that we, as Christians,should abandon all teaching and celebrations pertaining to Santa Claus. If you really look at Santa Claus as he is portrayed in stories and songs he has a lot of attributes that can only be ascribed to God. Santa decides who is good and evil, he gives reward or punishment, he sees you when you're sleeping (omnipresence) he knows if you're awake (omnipotent). These are just a few of the more obvious examples. But they lend to the same thinking that God will give us what we want if we ask Him or we just need to be "good enough" to get into heaven.
ReplyDeleteIf someone wants to have Santa Claus or Christmas trees in their yards or homes, I have no problem with that. It's the insistence that the absence of these symbols equal a 'war on Christmas' and Christianity that I find troublesome.
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