Posted on The Origins of Christmas Customs
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#1 posted 517 days ago |
Michael, I do agree with you here, so much so that I left the church entirely during my master’s studies in history at Harvard and my acceptance at the seminary. Specifically it was a course in the history of Rome that the seed sprouted. But my reasons went a bit beyond what you’ve stated here. Probably the main reason was that throughout our Christian history of blame, wars, bloodshed, and hypocrisy, one small concept had seemed to be forgotten or overlaid with ritual and self-righteousness – the original message of the carpenter. Now after many years, I’ve reconciled Christmas as a time set aside from our busy business of living and recall this simple message and find great enjoyment in family and friends. I enjoy wishing people Merry Christmas. I enjoy buying my wife a special gift and hiding it my workshop until Christmas Eve. I like the way she’s decorated the house and made it feel warm and full of love. And I do like the one great gift the church as fostered – the music. Mozart’s Mass in C still brings a tear to my eye. And each year I hope that the simple message will somehow encourage someone to give a turkey to the Salvation Army, or pay off someone’s K-Mart layaway, or just give a neighbor a plate of cookies. So I do wish you and all my friends here in the forum a Merry Christmas, and may all your neighbors get a plate of cookies. Sorry, but I am an incurable romantic. -- John from Horse Shoe |
