The Absurdity of Happy Holidays

The Absurdity of Happy Holidays

or

Prisoners of our Society

or

Witnesses for Jesus

Robert L. Withers

December 13, 2011

I don’t believe in being militant about Christmas; about Christ being the Reason for the Season; after all, the world is the world is the world and we have no reason to expect the world to be anything other than the world.

On the other hand, the Church should be the Church should be the Church; and the Church should faithfully witness to Jesus Christ with or without the world’s permission. The Christian should be the Christian should be the Christian; and while the Christian need not be vitriolically militant, indeed such militancy typically does a disservice to the Gospel, the Christian should not be a closet Christian, but rather a faithful witness to Jesus Christ and His birth.

I think it is better for me to personally share that Jesus is the Reason for the Season than to expect a button or a bumper sticker (I’ve used them both!) to do what I ought to be doing with my words and actions.

We live in a virtual prison with bars on our minds and words. Let us not speak the words “Merry Christmas” lest we step outside the prison walls and make ourselves objects of derision to our fellow inmates.

“Happy Holidays”? Now just what does that mean? What is the basis for such happiness? Is it gifts or health or spiked eggnog or a year-end bonus? If so, what a flimsy foundation we have for wishing happiness to one another – for we all get sick at one time or another, and we all die sooner or later, and eggnog is produced (the good stuff, not the product in a can) only two or three months a year. And what about the word “holiday” with it being derived from the word “holy”? Why are we going around saying, “Happy Holy Days”?

I want to ask my fellow “Happy Holiday” citizens just how they date their checks, correspondence, and emails. I want to ask them if the year isn’t 2011, and if 2012 won’t follow, and if 2013 won’t follow that? And then I want to ask them what do 2011, 2012 and 2013 represent? I wonder if they know?

Absurd isn’t it? Saying “Happy Holidays” while we send an email with the year 2011 on it?

Did I mention we live in a prison? What do you say we do a little prison ministry?