Over the years, I have given myself to the study of the Christmas story, the Origins of Christmas, and the meaning of Christmas...particularly at this time of year when everyone seems to be a little more....merrier of sort.
As I look at how Christmas came about and where it seems to have led us, I have to take a moment and note an observation: With this season comes a festive atmosphere, people at given moments seem to exert more kindness toward one another, and in the general sense the hearts of men and women appear softer. So, the question for me is "Does a merry heart mean the same thing as a changed heart?...and if it isn't, what is the difference between the two?"
I think there is little doubt humanity needs a dose of "spiritual medicine" which a season like Christmas has to offer. In psychology it is referred to as the "Christmas Effect" on society and brings with it some type of psychological release where people feel better about themselves simply because they have been doing the "Do unto others" thing. It has the potential to stir within, a feeling that through our Christmas traditions and virtues...we somehow connect ourselves with...God.
Some have called the Christmas celebration as the best human invention the Roman catholic church ever conceived. It is true Christmas has had some high and low periods in history, yet the original concept...the story of Christmas itself...has influenced the entire world.
Others have called the celebration of Christmas...Divinely Inspired, and although the actual celebration of the Christ-child in a manger did not really begin until a few hundred years after the Apostles, Saint Paul, and those we read of in the New Testament...had long passed away; the impact has caused the entire world to pause and consider...the Christ-child and the purpose of this celebration.
Still, others view Christmas as the greatest tool of evangelism the church has ever operated under.In the Dark Ages, the winter solstice...when the sun diminished and darkness increased, the thought of the challenging winter that was about to come...January, February, March, and sometimes into early April...particularly in the northern European countries, was a time of survival. The winter solstice festivals, celebrated in numerous countries...was in honor of the return of the s-u-n. With the introduction of Christmas to these regions, the Roman catholic church's thought...was to give attention to the return of the S-O-N...the very Son of God.
Yet, let me get back to my original question: "Is the merry heart the same as a changed heart?"
If we would go on a "field trip" together...on December 24th...and say we visit a local pub or bar, would we not find people celebrating in drink, dance, and song? And from this bar, a person who happens to be a regular at the bar...would come up (perhaps already buzzing), give you a hug and wish you a "Merry Christmas"...overcome with the emotion of desiring "Good tidings of Great Joy".
Or...let's go outta of the box a little...and visit a house of prostitution, and find a woman in tears, thinking of her own family...perhaps thinking of what she had hoped Christmas was meant to be when she was a child...and we find her sending flowers to her mother at Christmas.
And we find others, who throughout the year consider people like this "losers"...yet for the sake of Christmas...shows a little tolerance.
And...then we have another field trip...say late January or early February. What might we find? Well, first let us return to the same bar we had visited earlier...
To be continued.....
As I look at how Christmas came about and where it seems to have led us, I have to take a moment and note an observation: With this season comes a festive atmosphere, people at given moments seem to exert more kindness toward one another, and in the general sense the hearts of men and women appear softer. So, the question for me is "Does a merry heart mean the same thing as a changed heart?...and if it isn't, what is the difference between the two?"
I think there is little doubt humanity needs a dose of "spiritual medicine" which a season like Christmas has to offer. In psychology it is referred to as the "Christmas Effect" on society and brings with it some type of psychological release where people feel better about themselves simply because they have been doing the "Do unto others" thing. It has the potential to stir within, a feeling that through our Christmas traditions and virtues...we somehow connect ourselves with...God.
Some have called the Christmas celebration as the best human invention the Roman catholic church ever conceived. It is true Christmas has had some high and low periods in history, yet the original concept...the story of Christmas itself...has influenced the entire world.
Others have called the celebration of Christmas...Divinely Inspired, and although the actual celebration of the Christ-child in a manger did not really begin until a few hundred years after the Apostles, Saint Paul, and those we read of in the New Testament...had long passed away; the impact has caused the entire world to pause and consider...the Christ-child and the purpose of this celebration.
Still, others view Christmas as the greatest tool of evangelism the church has ever operated under.In the Dark Ages, the winter solstice...when the sun diminished and darkness increased, the thought of the challenging winter that was about to come...January, February, March, and sometimes into early April...particularly in the northern European countries, was a time of survival. The winter solstice festivals, celebrated in numerous countries...was in honor of the return of the s-u-n. With the introduction of Christmas to these regions, the Roman catholic church's thought...was to give attention to the return of the S-O-N...the very Son of God.
Yet, let me get back to my original question: "Is the merry heart the same as a changed heart?"
If we would go on a "field trip" together...on December 24th...and say we visit a local pub or bar, would we not find people celebrating in drink, dance, and song? And from this bar, a person who happens to be a regular at the bar...would come up (perhaps already buzzing), give you a hug and wish you a "Merry Christmas"...overcome with the emotion of desiring "Good tidings of Great Joy".
Or...let's go outta of the box a little...and visit a house of prostitution, and find a woman in tears, thinking of her own family...perhaps thinking of what she had hoped Christmas was meant to be when she was a child...and we find her sending flowers to her mother at Christmas.
And we find others, who throughout the year consider people like this "losers"...yet for the sake of Christmas...shows a little tolerance.
And...then we have another field trip...say late January or early February. What might we find? Well, first let us return to the same bar we had visited earlier...
To be continued.....
No comments:
Post a Comment