Merry Christmas – Good News

Merry Christmas! In China, only the marketers are pushing Christmas as they push all holidays. However, we live far from Christmas being here in China. Not far from Jesus though.

I used to be an enemy of the song Jingle Bells as it represented the trivializing of the Christmas holiday. I love Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

However, I lightened up. Any connection we can make with a fun and happy Christmas is better than a theologically strong song. Jingle Bells is harmless for example.

God gives us nice Christmas stories. Let’s have fun with the incarnation. It is happy news.

Let’s further take the stress out of the holiday.  Lighten up can help us a lot for Christmas.   Easter is a heavier story and more important.

Christmas is a good entry way if we keep it light.

We Christians got so dogmatic that the rest got sick of us and AD started to become CE.  They are not persecuting us by the way.  No one gets mad if you say Happy Hanukkah. Our manner pushed people away.

They are just sick of our heavy judgemental Christmas.

“Great joy” is the word of the angels.

Merry Christmas for the People Around Us

Jesus eats with the tax collectors and is a friend of gluttons.  Jesus is more fun and can get invited to such groups. He is not dogmatic.

I think we could get there too. Help us be such a people.

Perhaps some year we could do something for the community to lighten up the holiday. Something that would reach beyond our doors. Might not be this year, but could be a future.

Our big benefit in being in China is we can take the commercialization out of Christmas. We can just find fun and enjoy the holiday.

Jesus came. The die is cast. Come Lord Jesus. The one who can attract the world.  May we shine a light to let others come in.