Weekend Worship—A Season of Controversy

Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. Acts 17:23

This has turned into the season of controversy. Everywhere I turn, from social media, to magazines, to television I’m hearing about the Duck Dynasty Debacle. Christians are being painted as narrow-minded bigots.

And we’re being drawn into an argument that has side-tracked the reason for the season. We need to stay focused the bigger issue.

Christmas carols are humming over the airwaves, stores are decked in red and green, and Santa and his elves can be seen peering around every corner. As a Christ follower, this is the season I celebrate His birth. It’s the time when the God of creation stepped into the world and divided time…B.C from A.D. It doesn’t matter that scholars are renaming the divide, it can’t be argued who initiated it.

It’s also a time of unprecedented political correctness. It’s no longer Merry Christmas. Instead a chorus of Happy Holidays fills the air. Schools aren’t out for Christmas, but close for winter break. It’s not inclusive enough to have a Christmas party—only generalized holiday-themed celebrations are lauded for their open-mindedness. Christmas, it’s argued, is only for Christians. It’s too exclusive, and leaves people on the outside of the fun.

Everyone seems to have forgotten God came to save the world—the entire world. I don’t think it can get more inclusive than that.

So this year I’ll be unashamed as I remind everyone I meet that they are included in Christmas. The message isn’t one of exclusivity (or bigotry), but one of love. It’s the season of God’s outstretched arms, encircling a cold world in His loving embrace—all through the birth of a baby.