Winning the War on Terrible Christmas

Here is something Tia Lynn wrote on her blog recently about this whole war on Christmas:

Wouldn’t it come as a baffling shock if Christians everywhere put down their picket signs, ceased the boycotts, dropped the Christmas lawsuits, and instead, showered politicians, business owners, and ACLU workers that show disdain for Christmas/Christians with thoughtful gifts, invitations to OUR Christmas celebrations, letters of prayers, (not condemning ones), asking nothing in return?

What if Christians took all the money they are spending on lawsuits over Christmas and used it to serve the poor, the marginalized, and sick?

What if we stopped courting the approval and recognition of the rich and powerful and focused on the least, the lost, and the last of this world?

What if Christians recreated our Christmas celebrations and invited the world, instead of demanding the world get it right and include us?

How much harder would it be for the world to label us as judgmental, condemning, intolerant, superficial hypocrites, if we actually lead by example, by service, by radical, ridiculous, unconditional love?

See, Jesus is no naive optimist, He is a genius!

By responding to cruelty with kindness, insult with blessing, neglect with service, rejection with embrace, it proves our opponent wrong. It shows their true colors. It halts their accusations. It could inspire a rethinking of their assumptions. It makes us a people separated unto God. It clears the way for reconciliation, healing, renewal, forgiveness, and transformation.

When we take the bait and repay evil with evil, eye for eye, dollar for dollar, insult for insult, when we demand our DUE, we not only lose in the end, but we becomeour “enemy,” for we are guilty of the same offenses, tactics, and attitudes.

For what good is it if we only show love to those who love us? Do not even non-christians do this? Aren’t we called to a higher standard?

Thanks Tia for showing us how to be truly incarnational during this “holiday season.”