Blast From the Past: God's Response to the "War on Christmas"

This was first posted on November 22, 2010.

James Stillwell posted this a few years ago. It's titled, "God's Response to the 'War on Christmas'". This is worth a read.

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just get along and love one another. Now, having said, that let Me go on.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can and may remember Me anytime you see any tree.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list :

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

4. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

5. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile it could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local Hot-Line: they talk with people like that every day.

6. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day, they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

7. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name. You may already know someone like that.

8. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to some charity that believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

9. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Sincerely,

-God

P.S. Don't forget, I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work, time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those you love and, remember, I love you.

The President's Speech

Today, President Obama spoke to the nation's students. He spoke of things like personal responsibility, persistence, working hard, listening to teachers, and other values that students need to have to be successful in school and in life. The things that he talked about are the same values held by those who didn't want their children to hear the President.

Those parents who kept their children home certainly have that right. I believe that there is one lesson that those children learned today. They learned that you shouldn't listen to people you disagree with, that you shouldn't be open to learning things from people who see things differently, because you might find out that they are human beings too, and that you might have more in common with them than you think.

How Do You See the World?

There are two basic ways that we, as Christians in America can see the world. The first view is that the world is an evil place, full of enemies of our faith who are out to destroy us. The second view is that the world belongs to our Father and we can see his work in it, moving to a final restoration of creation.

The first view sees a culture war as essential to our survival. The prevailing emotion is fear, fear that the enemies of God will deny us the freedoms to practice our faith, fear that the Church will be destroyed and our way of life will be no more.

While it may be true that persecution may come to us in this country (and I don't mean losing tax exemptions), that does not mean that our ability to follow Jesus will be hindered. The early Christians faced terrible persecution, yet their faithfulness in following Christ changed their world. Christians today in China, India, Africa, and many other places faithfully practice their faith in the face of intense persecution. I doubt that they are worried about a culture war.

The Church is the Bride of Christ. Does anyone really think that Jesus is going to let anyone destroy his beloved? The Church in America is declining, but that doesn't mean that the body of Christ as a whole is in trouble. Remember that Jesus said that the very gates of Hell would not stand against his Church. I wonder if the decline in the American way of life is really what some of the culture warriors are worried about.

I prefer the view of the world that sees it as the creation of God. It is a flawed creation, but it is one in which the Father is working and one which he will restore. God is in control, and what he wants to happen will happen. While we here in America may go through some rough times because of our faith, we are children of a Father who loves us more than we can fathom. That alone should give us hope.

In the midst of all the junk, this is still our Father's world.