the funny thing about christmas

so i have had this thought for a while now...since last christmas, i believe. and it's sort of an inside thought. but every time i think about it i laugh because of the irony. so i must share.

i was thinking about what christmas means to believers. the ENTIRE holiday is wrapped up in Jesus and what his birth (even if it wasn't likely in december...we're over it) and death means for us. very deep implications, here, people. it's about celebrating his birth, his godliness wrapped up in a human package...just for us. whoa. don't worry, i'm getting to the funny ironic part. so Jesus comes to earth again finally after hundreds of years of prophets telling the Jewish people he's coming. and it's SO integral to our faith. his lowly birth, his short but awe-inspiring life, and his death, but mostly, his resurrection. clearly not a human (when was the last time you rose from the dead?), but clearly a human (he cried, he taught, he traveled, he ate and slept). fully God, fully man. easy to understand, right?!

so Jesus is the reason for the season, as they say. those christian marketers. and we agree. because we believe.

here's the kicker: what is the DEAL with the whole rest of this critical world celebrating MY holiday. OUR holiday. it's Jesus' BIRTHDAY. if you're not into the whole "God" and "Jesus" thing, why would you go on celebrating a holiday that is ALL about that?! it makes no sense to me. because presents are cool? because it's fun to hang sparkly trinkets on a coniferous tree?

it's not that i'm not a good sharer. or that i think it's "us" versus "them." quite the contrary. mostly, i just think it's ironic that in a country that pushes Christ out of everything and everywhere they possibly can, they still feel the need to celebrate him every single year. and go ALL out. they celebrate the heck out of Jesus, whether they realize it or not.

truth be told, i like sharing christmas. i love that the most popular christmas songs are songs about Jesus' birth. i love that undeniably, Jesus is what it's all about. what other stories, what other traditions, what other gods have lasted for thousands of years?

answer: none

there's probably no better time to share Jesus with the world than at the holidays.

but you have to admit, it's a bit ironic. and definitely a little funny.