Stop fighting…Do this instead

I think there are Christians who salivate over the notion of being warriors, fighters, soldiers. There are Christians who I observe that want to be in a type of “war”, whether figuratively or a literal type of war, fight, or conflict, related to what they claim is their faith. Although I’m confused as to how it can be over their the Christian faith when Jesus calls his followers to be peacemakers. “Blessed are the peacemakers…” Jesus said. It’s right there in the Gospel. He said it in other ways too. Peace is a major theme of his. He led no army in to Jerusalem during Holy Week. He was unarmed. His was was the way of peace, always. Even when he went into the Temple and turned over tables and fashioned a whip and drove out the animals, it wasn’t an act of violence and war — There were most likely Roman guards all around and they did nothing. It is highly likely they would have acted if what they saw was an uprising or anything that looked like an uprising going on in the Temple. The Scripture is pretty clear that Jesus didn’t use the whip against any human — it was used to drive the animals out of the Temple.

In America we have Christians we seem obsessed with a War on Christmas. This year I also read about a War on Thanksgiving.

There is no War on these holidays. If anything Christians have declared war on these holidays themselves in how they observe them, or rather how they don’t. Thanksgiving isn’t even a religious holiday anyway, so I’m not sure what the supposed Christian complaint is anyway. Thanksgiving was created by the US Government. The intention was for the people to take a moment to express thanks. There’s nothing wrong with that and in many ways that’s a good thing. And that can be done in a variety of ways. It’s quite healthy actually and for so many we don’t do it enough.

As for the so-called War on Christmas? There isn’t one. If you think the war is based on whether you can or can’t say Merry Christmas, really? That’s the front line of the battle? Sounds more like you are just going around looking for a fight. Isn’t the spirit of the season about the birth of the Savior — known as the Prince of Peace? Why are you looking for a fight rather than seeking the Prince of Peace? Stop fighting. Seek peace.

There is no war on Christmas. There is no war on Thanksgiving. There is only a war within yourself. The side that is winning will express itself in an outward fashion for all the world to see. It’s an ongoing battle. Some days one side gains the upper…