Is Christmas about Jesus?

With all the shopping, the eating of fattening and health destroying corporate inspired junk food, and parents weeping they can’t get enough electronics for the kids anymore to keep up with Joneses, I fail to see the connection. I think of the Christmas season as an economy booster, an event the mainstream buys into after being sufficiently brainwashed to accrue more debt and purchase the latest gadgets that corporations need us to buy to remain, shall we say, “sufficiently profitable” to keep us all hooked and continuing to spend money on stuff we obviously cannot afford (average card debt among people who have at least one card is $9,205—triple what it was in 1990).

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a few gifts as much as the next person (maybe five) and am certainly all about getting together with family and friends over a nice meal—I love mashed potatoes and gravy and stuffing and turkey. And, I enjoy dragging out a few festive items to decorate my home for the holidays (things I’ve had for years--okay maybe a new beeswax candle!), especially my antique ornaments. But, really, what does this decorating, eating, and shopping like crazy in Jesus’ honor, have to do with spirituality? I love the time off from my job (glad to still have one, mind you!), and let’s face it, even non-believers are on board for the perks of the season. However, to be honest, I think we should reframe the entire concept of the Christmas season and admit we are simply buying into mass marketing hysteria, greed, and expectations that are a set-up for disappointment. That said, once we admit this, the whole season could actually be more fun, relaxing, and dare I say, “spiritual.” I guess by wanting to bust the illusion that Christmas is about Jesus, you could call me a Scrooge.

No longer professing to be a Christian myself (mostly because the group no longer wants me because I refuse to say the words, “Jesus is my one and only savior.”), I see a huge disconnect between the Christmas season and Jesus. Now even though I don’t call myself a Christian, and many Christians would think of my personal and political views as anti-Christ  (for example, I really do believe all of us should be entitled to health care, even illegals!) Oh God, I said it! Even illegals should receive compassionate services in the “greatest “country on earth—I’m definitely not a Christian because that would be socialism!

What would Jesus Do? Or WWJD

I just read this on Wikipedia:

“The phrase 'What would Jesus do?' (often abbreviated to WWJD) became popular in the United States in the 1890s and again in 1990s as a personal motto for thousands of Christians who used the phrase as a reminder of their belief that Jesus is the example to be followed in daily life, and to act in a manner of which Jesus would approve. The WWJD is sometimes used by Christians to mean "Walk with Jesus daily." Many Christians still use this phrase today, especially with young children.”

I was fascinated to learn the phrase gained more popularity following Charles Sheldon’s 1896 book, In His Steps, subtitled, “What Would Jesus Do?,” Sheldon’s theology was actually shaped by his belief in Christian Socialism, or the idea that Jesus is an example of a moral being rather than a savior.

And, then I happened to read this, on the heels of lmmartin’s excellent hubs on homelessness and the discussions that followed. It is so relevant to her discussion, I wanted to share this bit from Sheldon’s novel. A main character, Rev. Henry Maxwell, encounters a homeless man who challenges him to take seriously the imitation of Christ. The homeless man has difficulty understanding why, in his view, so many Christians ignore the poor:

"I heard some people singing at a church prayer meeting the other night,

'All for Jesus, all for Jesus,

All my being's ransomed powers,

All my thoughts, and all my doings,

All my days, and all my hours.'

"And I kept wondering as I sat on the steps outside just what they meant by it. It seems to me there's an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn't exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out. I suppose I don't understand. But what would Jesus do? Is that what you mean by following His steps? It seems to me sometimes as if the people in the big churches had good clothes and nice houses to live in, and money to spend for luxuries, and could go away on summer vacations and all that, while the people outside the churches, thousands of them, I mean, die in tenements, and walk the streets for jobs, and never have a piano or a picture in the house, and grow up in misery and drunkenness and sin."

Apparently, this leads to many of the novel's characters asking, "What would Jesus do?" when they are faced with important questions, and they begin to embrace the core message of Christianity and follow the teachings of a compassionate Christ.

So, WWJD this Christmas, the holiday honoring His birth?

• Would Jesus, put more on his credit card to buy gifts he can’t afford to keep up with the Joneses?

• Would Jesus teach kids they are entitled to lots of presents under their tree and all the things they want and think they need to be happy because it is His birthday?

• Would Jesus make poor kids feel they can’t have a good Christmas because their parents can’t afford to buy them an iphone?

• Would Jesus insist it is patriotic to shop at Gap?

• What would Jesus do about the fact that 20% of the homeless are kids?

• Would Jesus teach that rich is about how much money we have instead of lessons learned and compassion shown?

From Wikipedia: Average per household debt in the U.S., not counting mortgage debt, is about $14,500 -- especially noteworthy because before the 1930s, most middle and working class people had NO major debts. Banks would not lend to them; they rented their homes and if they did own a house, it was paid for as it was being built.

• Would Jesus stay home and eat a big turkey dinner while people in the neighborhood were eating from dumpsters?

• Would Jesus buy lots of new clothes for Himself while he knew others didn’t even have a warm coat?

• Would Jesus tell the homeless to get off the streets and out of his sight because it was their fault they didn’t have a place to live and they deserved what they were getting?

• Would Jesus cut funding to social programs for the poor and give it to the military to build more weapons of mass destruction?

Jesus commanded, "Love your neighbor." When asked to define "neighbor," Jesus expanded the traditional meaning of the word—defining our neighbor as anyone who is in need, including social outcasts: "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed." (Luke 14:13)

I wish I was a really good Christian (my Indian guru is—she just gives and gives 24-7), but I’m just too damned obstinate, I guess, to think Jesus wants me to worship Him—I just have a nagging feeling Jesus would be more interested in my deeds if He is interested in my little self at all. And lots of Christians don’t like Mother Theresa, one of my heroes, because she was Catholic! Merry Christmas, everyone, and go figure!