The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined. ~ Isaiah 9:2

I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. When the time change hits and we lose that hour in November, my spirits sink like a stone. And one of the ways I manage the storm is by getting ready for Christmas.

I find that Advent helps a lot because

1. We’re allowed to be sad and acknowledge the dark and

b. We’re supposed to light candles and (in my house at least) put up a gazillion little white lights.

And you can’t put up Christmas lights without Christmas music playing in the background. So I do. (Sometimes, if it’s a particularly hard year, I even do it before Thanksgiving. This year I probably could have started in September).

Anyway, music helps set the mood and having grown up singing in the church choir from the time I was knee high to North Pole elf, I like my Christmas music on the religious side.

I have nothing against Brenda Lee or WHAM! But mostly what I want to hear as I’m decorating are Christmas carols like, “In the Bleak Midwinter” or “Silent Night.” Pretty much everything you’ll hear this evening. And so I ask Siri to play “Christmas hymns.”

But apparently, Siri and I have on-going disagreement about what constitutes a Christmas hymn. She can be taught, but she keeps slipping in songs that are decidedly not sacred.

“Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” not a hymn.

“I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Klaus,” not a hymn.

“All I want for Christmas” even as an instrumental by the Piano Guys with an assist from Lindsay Stirling, still not a hymn.

“I’m Dreaming of White Christmas.” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

Not hymns, but I will allow because they are peaceful and beautiful and hit me right in the heart. Nat and Bing can sing to me anytime.

But “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas?” What?!

“Rocking Around the Christmas Tree!”  Uggh.

“Not a hymn, Siri”

“Try again, Siri,”

And my poor husband, who has to witness this on going tug of war between me and AI for a good 30+  days every year, mutters under his breath, “It must be the war on Christmas.”

Y’all remember the war on Christmas, right? Those dark days of red cups, “winter” concerts, and the cashier at Walmart wishing you a “Happy Holidays?”

Someone, somewhere along the line decided that being inclusive of other faiths at this time of year was all some sort of liberal marxist plot or politically correct capitalist conspiracy to erase Jesus from the rabid consumerism that has come to define this season, and Christians decided to get mad about … that.

Which is absurd. I mean, as one of my colleagues has said, “People who are looking for Christ at the check-out register of Target might (well) be looking in the wrong place (Robb McCoy, https://fatpastor.me/tag/keep-christ-in-christmas/” ).

But boy has this old chestnut been roasting for awhile and it has not brought out the best in people…especially our people. What should be prime time for Christians to spread peace on earth by loving our neighbor as ourselves has become an opportunity for many Christians to take offense at our differences …which is not Christian, Siri.

Try again, Siri.

I remember folks at my church growing up even getting upset at the abbreviation X-mas and insisting that we keep the Christ in Christmas, (even though the X is actually the Greek letter Chi and has been used as an abbreviation for the name of Christ since the 16th century.)

So I was delighted when I came across a post on instagram a few weeks ago that said, “If someone saying “Happy Holidays upsets you, it’s you that isn’t keeping the Christ in Christmas.”

And another that said:

“IDK; ( I don’t know) feels like maybe we should put Christ back in Christian before worrying about Christmas.”

HOOWEEE! I thought, that’ll preach.

Maybe we should put Christ back in Christian before worrying about Christmas.

It’s sobering, but I think we all know why someone would write something like that right now and why it would resonate.

So let me just say that I know…I know that what’s happening all around us in the name of Christ is breaking your hearts, because it’s breaking mine…breaking our hearts to such an extent that it’s hard for some of us to even keep calling ourselves Christian because we don’t want to be associated with the harm being done in his name.

But friends, let’s not throw our baby out with their bathwater. Instead let’s name and claim and protect him as our own.

Because the truth is, whether you’re a member of this church or this community or you just came along tonight because you love someone who is, that I see Christ in you and so much of what we do together.

I see Christ in every one of you who has stood up for your neighbor at a rally this year or helped feed a neighbor at Manna or our Friday breakfast. I see Christ in every one here who has donated food or money or gifts to offset the lack of aid and programming our taxes used to support.

I see Christ in every one who has joined in the efforts to protect our neighbors, educated yourself on how to respond to the challenges of this moment, stayed engaged even when it is has become overwhelming and painful, and refused to give into hate in the midst of all the division.

But what I really want tonight… is for you to see that.

You might not think of yourselves as particularly good observant Christians, but dear ones, faith is as faith does. I want you to recognize that all you have done in the name of love and justice this year is evidence of the light of Christ in you. All you have done to protect the vulnerable and the marginalized, is evidence of the light of Christ in you.

And my ask tonight is that you not be afraid or ashamed to let that light shine …shine in the midst of this darkness because the world needs the light and love of Christ right now and the world needs you. Our country needs to hear what Christ-like Christians sound like and what Christ-filled Christians can do.

For Christ came to a world in need and comes to us and through us to a world that needs him even still. So arise and keep shining my friends, keep shining with love for your neighbor. Keep shining with love for the immigrants in our midst. Keep shining for one another and we’ll not only keep Christ in Christmas this year, we’ll keep him here, in us and among us, for now and forevermore. Amen