I’m currently reading A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of Christ-Centered Worship by Michael Horton and The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations by Dan Kimball. The specific purpose of these two books differ, but each deal with similar questions about worship. It is really interesting to note how each author treats the subject. I will save my commentary on this until I am finished the books and can offer a more detailed review of them.

Desiring God has put 11 of John Piper’s books online. You can even download the books in PDF format. I have benefited immensely from Piper’s writing ministry and recommend that you check out these valuable resources here.

Anna Quindlen wrote an article for Newsweek recently where she discusses Christians’ reactions to the supposed “secularization” of Christmas. I’m not a fan of Christmas as a Christian holiday. I think that the message of the purpose for Christ’s first advent is better proclaimed apart from the cultural and extra-biblical religious elements of an American Christmas celebration. On the other hand I marvel over the reasoning that seeks to remove references to Christ from the public square while at the same time giving more prominence to Muslim and Jewish religious symbols and celebrations.

Back to Quindlen’s article. She makes an attempt to analyze why the holiday is being secularized. While I would disagree with aspects of her brief analysis I think that it provides a good perspective on the way others may see Christians’ protests about what is taking place in society with regards to Christmas. She writes:

So the silly annual examples are trotted out, the schools that censor Christmas carols, the townships that insist that the evergreen decorated with lights is a holiday tree. No one searches his soul about how we came to this pass. It has little to do with separation of church and state or liberal politics and everything to do with the way the blunt cudgel of Christianity has been heedlessly used, the tyranny of the majority. After years of Jewish parents’ sitting through school concerts listening to the words “It is the night of our dear savior’s birth,” maybe oversensitivity was inevitable, since any other kind of sensitivity had been in short supply.

From the trials of witches in Salem to the talking-head evangelists of the present day, we have a rich tradition of faith-based bullying in this country. “The fact is, 96 percent of us celebrate Christmas,” said a representative of a swat team of lawyers organized “to serve the body of Christ” by orchestrating challenges to inadequate public celebration. Humbug. One study estimates roughly 75 percent of Americans are Christian; the rest are Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostics. “We must never allow our children to forget that this is a Christian nation,” Jerry Falwell recently said from the pulpit. Humbug. Two out of three Americans in one poll said they oppose any attempt to make it so by constitutional amendment.

So do our legal disputes and misguided comments about the religious history of the nation really proclaim the glory of the One who was, “…born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5)? Is fighting to have performances of Christian songs in schools or public displays of evergreen trees really worth perpetuating the stereotypes that so many non-Christians have of us?

Another of Quindlen’s remarks should cause us to pause before lashing out at the “secularists”:

Christmas is being observed exactly where it ought to be, at homes, in our hearts, among friends and families. The modern movement to exhibit it in town squares and mall food courts is precisely what has led to the secularization of one of our most solemn holy days. That’s why some Jewish leaders have been uncomfortable with reducing the Chanukah menorah to a dueling religious symbol, paired with a Christmas tree for the sake of equal time. Faith is not a photo op.

She concludes:

So if people are really worried about keeping Christ in Christmas, they might personally exhibit tolerance and charity, kindness and generosity. It is the ultimate exercise of style over substance to whine about the absence of “O Holy Night” at public events. The real point is in taking the lyrics to heart: “Truly he taught us to love one another/His law is love and his gospel is peace.” And if saying “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas” offers someone who is not of your faith more comfort and joy—well, ’tis the season for both.

If God has commanded us to do something than we need to do it whether or not it is acceptable to the world around us. But in the realm of Christmas celebrations in the public square we are hardly just simply acting on what God has commanded (Where is that command to celebrate the birth of Christ? Where is the command to fight legal battles over an extra-biblical religious holiday?) Sometimes maybe we need to listen to what those on the outside are saying about our actions. We must proceed wisely and even be willing to lose the small battles in the public square for the sake of furthering our mission to make disciples (as opposed to Christianizing people) of all the nations.

Ever seen National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Well, the church in the photos below is applying Jesus’ command to His people to let their light shine in a way that reminds me of a scene from the film.

**Update–I removed the photo of the church sign.**

This is the front of the church building.

Sponge Bob made an appearance.

In case you were wondering donations are accepted. After all, electricity isn’t cheap.

Of course things just wouldn’t be right without a nativity scene.

Several years ago I became disillusioned with the circle of churches that I had been a part of since before I was a Christian. After attending the group’s Bible college and working as a full-time staff member at one of its larger churches I left the movement. My time at the Bible college proved to be a turning point in my Christian life. Although I was taught some wonderful things by the professors the most significant theological education I received was from the books nobody wanted to read in the school’s library. These books were written, for the most part, by men who had been dead for at least 150-200 years. They didn’t contain “helpful hints” for Christian living or explanations of how to be “fulfilled in life”. But the one thing these books did overflow with was the glory of God. I remember reading about God’s majesty and being in awe of this One who had saved me to know and worship Him. Once my appetite for the glory of God was awoken it was insatiable. Sadly, I didn’t find much in my church to feed my new found appetite for the glory of God. The sermons rarely focused on God and His glory. Sure God was in the sermon, but more as an extra than the central theme. This inadvertent neglect of God was visible in every aspect of the church’s life–ecclesiology, preaching, evangelism, missions, body life, etc. I was growing weary of slick marketing, pragmatic ministry, and shallow theology. So after trying to tough it out and hope for the best I left. I found a “regular” job and decided to finish my college education (after all I was only in my early twenties).

In God’s wonderful providence my wife and I found a church in which God’s glory is central and overwhelmingly the motivation for all that takes place. Each week’s worship service is a great feast full of spiritual food. What would surprise folks at my former church is that the services are full of prayer, hymns (mostly), and Scripture reading. The sermons are highly doctrinal. There is definitely application (in fact that is one of their strengths), but the application flows out of a rigorous exposition of the passage. In all that takes place God’s glory is constantly set before us and we are satisfied (but wanting more).

My plea to pastors and preachers is that you would stop focusing on movie clips, jokes, shallow theology, and inspirational stories to capture people’s attention. You are belittling God and denying the saints and sinners in your congregation the very thing they need…God! You can only starve someone for so long before they find somewhere else to eat.