For the past few weeks I’ve been buried under an avalanche of
hyperbole, baseless supposition, and borderline hysteria. Oddly enough, contrary
to what one might expect, these suppositions had less to do with the electoral
college, or the election, and more to do with Christmas, the validity of
Christmas, or whether or not we as Christians should even make mention of it.
With titles so grim and dire as to make any clickbait site
salivate at the potential of hits, I was bombarded with warnings ranging from
being physically punished to having my salvation stripped from me if I were to
commit the seemingly unpardonable sin of saying Merry Christmas.
If such hysteria were contained, if it was only a handful of
people forwarding the e-mails declaring that if you say Merry Christmas you are
unknowingly and unwittingly pledging fealty to Satan, then I’d let it go, and
move on to other matters. It does, however, become a problem when I get the ‘is
this true?’ e-mails along with the convoluted ramblings of lonely men who have
nothing better to do than to create an issue where no issue exists.
As such, here I go making friends again: First, I do not care
what day Jesus was born on! It could have been March 12, June 17, August 9, or
yes, even December 25. I am not celebrating a day; I am celebrating an event.
It is the reality of the birth of God’s son that we are remembering and
reminiscing over. It is the reality of God’s love made manifest and the hope of
mankind being born in a manger in Bethlehem.
It matters not a whit what day this took place. All that
matters is that it did. Jesus was born of a virgin, in a manger, in Bethlehem,
and the angels declared “For there is
born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
The reality of Christ’s birth is not something we remember on
one day during the calendar year, it is a reality that we live every day of our
lives. It is something upon which we meditate and reflect because it was the
embodiment of God’s love for mankind made manifest in the living, breathing,
animated reality of Jesus Christ the Lord.
So, to answer publicly the questions I’ve received privately
throughout the past few weeks, I do not believe saying Merry Christmas is akin
to taking the mark of the beast, nor do I believe that reflecting upon the
birth of the Son of God is a sin, whether you do it on December 25th,
or on January 22.
As long as we remember that Christmas is not about glut and
gifts, or trees and treats, as long as we remember that we are celebrating an
event and not a day, and that this singularly history making event made a way
for us to be reconciled unto God, then Merry Christmas to you!
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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