Don't say Merry Christmas... unless you mean it

**I feel like all my blog posts lately have been particularly rant-y. So, umm, sorry? But this is just something that's been on my heart lately. I also have to acknowledge that I am writing from within this materialistic culture that I criticize. I am SO not free of blame for contributing to this.**

I love the holiday season.
I love the egg nog and the snow gently falling and candy canes and carols and It's a Wonderful Life.

Mostly, I love that it is a time of year when we think about Jesus. Or at least, we supposedly do. Over the past few years I have seen a bit of backlash from the Christian community, because of signs like this one I saw at Target today (also, side note, why oh why did I choose to go to the mall in December?):

What's wrong with that sign? Some of us would prefer it to say the word "Christmas."It's "Happy Holidays" this and "Seasons Greetings" that, and then Christians come up with the fun rhyming saying, "Jesus is the reason for the season."

Whoa now.
Hold up.
JESUS is the reason for the season?

Each year, we put ourselves into debt, increase our stress level, and end up with useless trinkets that some underpaid worker in a developing country made, and we smile and pay $44.00 for a snow globe that says "Jesus is the reason for the season."

This American conservative website published an article called "Now 8 states waging war for Christmas." Western Christians are feeling threatened, because of restrictions on when you can and cannot say "Christmas."

But as a Christian, I have to say this growing trend away from saying "Merry Christmas" is welcome.

Because as long as we celebrate this holiday the way we do, I do not think Jesus wants anything to do with it.

Christmas as we celebrate it is an orgy of greed, consumerism, materialism and entitlement. 
That is not what Christ represents.

I am a Christian. That means that my heart sings the hymn of Philippians 2. It speaks of Jesus:
who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited, 
but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, 
   he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross.

 Jesus, one with God. King of the universe. The One person in all of existence who has no reason to be humble. After all, Jesus was there at the beginning. He is the artist who created such unmatchable wonders as the Rocky Mountains, the honey bee, love, and you. He is the one who does nothing wrong. And somehow he put his great power aside and became dependent. The King of the universe became a zygote. The creator of the vastness of the world confined himself to be inside a woman's womb. Like any infant, he could not walk, talk, or eat by himself. 
And he was born in a manger.  

Imagine Jesus' obituary after he died on the cross:
Jesus, 33, of Nazareth. Born in Bethlehem, in a food trough, among manure, flies, and livestock. Executed between two thieves as a crowd mocked him.

This is our God. 
This is sacrificial love at its finest. This is the opposite of the greed of Christmas.
Yes, it is a gift. But this is the difference between Christ's gift and the consumerism of Christmas: Christ's gift cost him everything. He gave his entire earthly life to the people who did not even deserve his love. And he died for those same people, and for me and for you. Jesus chose to be poor.

For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 

We are rich. Jesus is all we need. We do not need to show our love to our friends and family by purchasing a bunch of junk and putting it inside a giant sock. When we celebrate Christmas in the same way as everyone else, buying into this materialistic culture cleverly sold to us by retail marketers, what are we telling the world about Jesus?
It's like we are saying "Jesus isn't enough."
We are agreeing with this philosophy: "More stuff will make you happy" 
Or maybe this one: "Your loved ones will not know you love them unless you spend a lot of money on them."
But then we say: "But please, name this holiday after our Saviour."

Here's some real talk from the prophet Amos. He was writing to the Jews, who at that time were living in luxury- but ignoring the poor. They were comfortable and happy but forget their mission and forgot what set them apart. I see too many similarities with Christians today. Here's what God is saying:
I hate, I despise your festivals,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
    I will not look upon. 
 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    I will not listen to the melody of your harps. 
But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

 So this Christmas, let's change what "Merry Christmas" means. Let's disassociate Christ with the corporate consumer culture, and remember what he really is: the ultimate example of humility and sacrificial love. 

[Here's a group celebrating Christmas in a great way]