WHY I’M NOT
SAYING MERRY CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR
Forget the commercialism
of Christmas, which we rail against the same way we rail against negative
political ads: righteously, loudly, while making no changes.
Forget the “War
on Christmas”. In my view, the only war on Christmas is the one that turns a
revolutionary act of power arising from the edge of the margins into a
triumphant celebration of how good and generous we are (and how “persecuted” we
are as Christians in the U.S., which is utter nonsense).
That’s not
the reason I’m not saying Merry Christmas this year. It is because of the way we treat Jesus. This is what I might say:
“Bless Jesus,
who was poor, a migrant, a Jew, a refugee from violence, homeless.” Doesn’t seem
as cheerful as “Merry Christmas”? Well,
the birth of Jesus was a joyful, transforming event in the midst of poverty, violence and racism. His parents had to travel because of an emperor
who thought he could control the world and all people in it. He was born in a barn because no one gave
them shelter. He sought sanctuary in a
foreign country because of a murderous king.
Better yet,
I think I will say, “Bless Jesus who is
poor, a migrant, a Jew, a refugee from violence, homeless.” Because as a Christian, I believe that Jesus
rose from the dead, is alive in us and in the world, and especially to be found
in the poor, persecuted and outcast.
To my
friends who are not followers of Jesus, I bless you. And I say to everyone, regardless of what you
believe, don’t you think the power of the world, the hope of the world, the
love of the world should be, and is, standing side by side, living and dying
with the poor, migrants, Jews, refugees, victims of violence, homeless, trans
and every other person who is condemned, violated or refused?
Pittsburgh.
The MAGA bomber. Yemen. The caravan. Matthew Shepard. Khashoggi. Vicky Lee Jones and Maurice Stallard in
Jeffersontown. That’s where my Christmas Jesus was just this week: being born, living,
rejoicing, suffering, dying, and dare we hope, rising in us.
Be Justice Be Beauty Be
with Jesus by being with those where he is
Patrick
