From the pages of "You Got To Be Kidding Me?"

You have got to be kidding, right?

“If you don’t see merry Christmas in the window you don’t go in that store?” “If you don’t see merry Christmas, yes you walk right by that door?”

Have we lost our minds? I guess there is no use being ignorant if you can’t show it every now and then. People, let’s get a grip.

First of all, Christ wasn’t born in December or on December 25th.

Second of all, the emphasis of the incarnation is not on the fact that a baby was born in a manager named Jesus. The emphasis on the incarnation is that the Christ agreed to empty Himself of His glory and to be born as a man in order to redeem His people from their sins.

Third, if saying or hearing ‘Merry Christmas’ is needed as some emotional or psychological lift, get a grip and get into Scripture. Depend on the promises of God rather than some more often than not faked annual greeting.

Fourth, do you really want to die on that hill? Come on, is that the battle you want to be known for? Can’t we pick a better battle to engage? Do we really want to hurt local merchants, many who have families, who have never done a thing to you, and who may be on the verge of bankruptcy due to the economy?

Fifth, do we really want to show ourselves as that ignorant? How do you plan on sharing the gospel, the real meaning of the incarnation with the store owners that you refuse to go into and do business?

All this is, is symbolism over substance, feel-goodism, and shallow Christianity.