A Problem With the Holidays

Yesterday, I attended an Easter service packed with people. Typically, we call them "Christmas and Easter Christians" because these members normally attend services only on such special occasions. The music was upbeat and solidly Christ-centered. We should praise and worship God for winning this victory for us at the cost of His precious Son's life! Our Pastor said, before his sermon, as he looked out at the packed room, "This is a Pastor's dream." Before and after the service, we exchanged greetings with those we saw, "Happy Easter!" and we would respond, "Happy Easter!" After the service, a number of us also exchanged hugs. Some people dressed up more than usual. This was all wonderful.

Some Holidays and Origins

A growing number of our brothers and sisters in Christ have chosen not to celebrate holidays like Christmas, Easter, or Halloween. Period. They cite the fact that these holidays have their roots in ungodly roots. Halloween, for example, has its roots in the occult, with so many of the festivities and their symbols representing demonic influences. Both Christmas and Easter have pagan origins, as they are based on pagan idols. The Christian Church reclaimed these two holidays, setting December 25 as Jesus' birthday. There is no evidence that Jesus was born in the winter. As for Easter, Christians created this holiday to celebrate our Savior's returning to life from the dead. The Church set it for Sundays, in recognition of the fact that Christians generally celebrate Sunday as their "day of rest." Yet those in the Body who oppose these holidays rightly argue that Jesus condemns making a idols of the traditions of man and teaching them as the Gospel truth. They also rightly contend that we are told to observe only two occasions: Baptism and Holy Communion. There are no Scriptural commands to celebrate Christmas, Easter, or any other man-made holiday. Can this have something to do with some of the problems with these holidays, like commercialization and inflated expectations?

Unrealistic Expectations

It seems that these holidays have a way of surfacing feelings through raising the bar on our expectations. We exchange all our holiday greetings, wishing each other a "wonderful holiday," especially on Christmas and Easter. Like so many others, I went to yearly Christmas and Easter services, where the room was packed with churchgoers. Countless "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Easter" greetings are exchanged. Then, when the services are over, many of us gather with some of our relatives if we are on decent terms with them. When I was growing up, in the 1960s and 1970s, in St. Louis, MISSOURI, my late grandmother would have over a hundred people. Most were people I saw only once a year. I would wonder what was the point? I disrelished the gatherings because they involved socializing and making small talk, which are two things I have never enjoyed. As an adult, because of my family dynamics being as they are, the holidays are a trigger to me and just remind me that my family dynamics fall outside of the norms, at least to me. I wonder how many people are triggered by these holidays, even as we wish each other a "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Easter"? There are many people who do not feel like celebrating on these holidays. These reasons vary widely and include losing a loved one in the past year, being unable to conceive a wanted child, having social or sensory issues that interfere with getting into the festivities, having a special needs child, being hospitalized or seriously ill, being estranged from a family member or close friend, or loneliness of not celebrating these holidays out of conviction. When I check my Facebook on any holiday, I see as many missing/murdered cases as I do any day of the year. Need does not take a holiday. The devil is as active on holidays as any other day of the year.

Learning to Become Consumers?

I don't need to say much about how all the holidays have become commercialized. They have become an excuse to spend money that many of us do not really have, to eat food that we know is bad for us, and to even use substances that can kill us or others. As tradition goes, we observe these holidays by often giving gifts to family and friends who do not even need these gifts. This all sends the message to children that the holidays exist for them and that they are consumers. There are so many blogs and articles on the commercialization of holidays that I'm not going into it here. But it all just makes those who are on fixed income, low incomes, or who live below the poverty line, feel left out of being able to "provide Christmas" or "give Easter" to loved ones.

Christians and Holidays

There are factions about these holidays in the Christian community. Both sides, those who celebrate these holidays and those who choose not to observe them, feel as passionately about their positions. We are not commanded to celebrate any man-made holiday, but Christians, as a rule, will keep observing them. My position is that what any brother or sister does about observing man-made holidays is between you and God. It is up to Him to convince you what you should do about it. But none of us have any right to judge those who differ with us on the matter of whether to observe these holidays or not. And if we celebrate them, we need to bear in mind and not forget that not everyone can or feels like celebrating on these special occasions.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Christian Friends, You Can Show Autistic People A FREE Christmas Gift of Your Support!

What Am I Asking For?

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Christmas is the time for giving. You know that. Actually, all year we are to give of ourselves and what we have. But we focus on this at this time of the year. I would like to see you show support for the autism community, and it will not cost you a cent, only a little of your time. I have set up an autism petition at Change.org over two years ago, and I had set it up at SignOn.org about a year ago. In it, I appeal to the US Congress and to the US President to send funds to all 50 states so states can set up affordable autism services for all those who want or need them.

Why Is This So Important?

Autism is a lifelong neurological disorder that affects the way a person sees himself, others, and the world. It affects how the autistic person relates to others. Levels of function range from the "high-functioning" Asperger's Syndrome to more severe forms of autism where an autistic person deals with cognitive and behavioral challenges. Every autistic person's autism is unique; autism cannot be stereotyped by the well-known "Rain Man" image in the Dustin Hoffmann film. Many autistic persons need no services, but far more, especially children, need affordable services. Without these services they cannot get officially diagnosed; without that diagnosis, it's legally impossible to access any form of autism support services. Hence, I have created a petition calling for those services for those who want but can't afford them.

Why Do We Christians Need To Be Concerned?

First of all, God loves and cares for all of us, and that includes autistic persons of all ages. He wants us to show His love to all people, as much as we can. Also, autistic adults and parents with autistic children have felt unwelcome in most Christian congregations, and I know that many still do. As the mom of a beautiful, precious daughter with diagnosed autism, and as a person who is suspected to have an ASD myself due to my past and present challenges, I have known this anguish of feeling unwelcome by a number of people in the Christian community. You take a small but important first step (depending on your connection with autism) by signing my autism petition, which I'm making available on widgets here, so you can more easily sign it and share it without leaving this blog to go to Change.org or to SignOn.org. Your support means a lot to us in the autism community!

Always in Christ,

Lisa DeSherlia

Please Sign This Petition Here

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Thank You For Sharing Your Support and God's Love!

Both images at the top are courtesy of MorgueFile.com. The first image is found here & the second image is found here.

Give A Child A Gift That Gives All Year Long

What Is the Problem With This Time of the Year?

It is that time of the year, the time when those of us parents, even we Christian parents, are hitting the stores to buy our children the gifts they may have wanted all year long. In this digital age, we parents are buying our children, at ever-younger ages, devices like iPods, iPads, cell phones, even Smartphones, tablets, even laptop computers. We want them to have all that their peers have! After all, our children may wail, "But Mom and Dad! All the other kids have one! Do you want me to be left out?" We don't want our children to be left out! Aside from the safety issues of getting these devices (aside from regular cell phones) in light of them running data that can make minors vulnerable to predators, there's the sheer material this all teachers our children. We Christians know that our Savior warns us not to "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth" and to "Beware of covetousness, for the abundance of life is not found in wealth." Yes, my spouse and I can relate to this cultural pressure as we are dealing with these same pressures to get "the best" for our daughter.

What Can We Do About This?

This past week, at our worship service, the sermon topic was titled, "It Isn't Your Birthday!" In other words, we behave as though this time of the year were our birthday (I'm not talking about those who DO have birthday at this time or on Christmas Day). It's reflected in how, with astounding frenzy, we hit the stores in search of the best deals. There's nothing wrong with wanting to show our love for family or close friends by giving them gifts. But don't we take it too far and get into materialism when we lavish our money on family or friends, giving our children toys or items they may enjoy today but be bored with tomorrow? By such behavior, we betray that we forget that we serve a God Whose nature is to give, give, give, all year long. There is nothing in His Word that commands us to get caught up in this yearly materialistic frenzy to celebrate all these festivities. We are told, though, to "Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." In last week's sermon, we were challenged, "What is on Jesus' wish list? What kind of gifts would make Him happy?" I do not think any of us who have even a casual knowledge of the Person of Christ or the Bible, would have trouble answering that question. In Scripture and in the life of Jesus, God reveals Himself as a giving God and that He wants us to give, every day of the year. At this time of the year, this means that He wants us to focus on what we can give, give, and give.

How Does Helping Fight World Poverty Figure In?

As many of us parents, guardians and others in in North America and Europe seek to lavish gifts on our children to give them what our culture has convinced us, is "a Christmas they must have," there are countless children throughout Asia, Africa and other parts of the world whose only thought is to survive. Many times, they don't have access to clean drinking water. This leaves people, especially children, vulnerable to deadly diseases of all kinds. So many of these people don't know if they will have anything to eat today, or if they can feed their children. Fathers often can't provide for their children, and can't send them to school. Women often can't read and can't get any pre-natal care during pregnancy. Celebrating on birthdays or holidays with festivities or gift-giving, is often unthinkable. Precious children start out with hopes and dreams, which their harsh circumstances soon cruelly crush to hopelessness. That is, if many even survive. Many children don't even live to see their 5th birthday. As most of us know but feel uncomfortable thinking about, many of these children die of starvation before them. God tells us, "If you have the world's goods but do not give to those in need, how does the love of God dwell in you?" Indeed, how can it?

How Can Child Sponsorship Combat World Poverty?

When we sponsor individual children, this allows relief workers to focus on a sponsored child's physical, social, emotional, and developmental needs. The child gets an education and is motivated and empowered to become a responsible and contributing member of his or her community and giving back far more than has been poured into them. Child sponsorship also helps the child's family and entire community as child sponsorship nonprofits serve their sponsored children's families and communities. When we sponsor a child, he or she is given hope, help and knows that they are cared for. This empowers them to much better development and their families are given hope in knowing that often tremendous struggles to provide for their own child are being assisted by others who also care. The family and community of the sponsored child also get help as an extension of the help being provided to the sponsored child. Reaching out in love to a child in this way is a wonderful way of showing a child and his or her family that someone truly cares.

What Is So Special About Compassion International Child Sponsorship?

We all know that there are many child sponsorship nonprofits, and you no doubt have seen many TV and Internet ads appealing to you to sponsor a child, with displays a pictures of individual children and contact information for the nonprofit. Aside from the sad fact that funds donated to too many of these nonprofits may be mismanaged and that many of them may not even reach those children, many seem to focus mostly on basic physical needs. That is better than no help for these suffering children. Compassion International is unsurpassed not only in their financial ethics and accountability, in my opinion, they focus on the complete development of their sponsored children: physical, social, material, emotional and spiritual. As Christians who want to see the world won for Christ, it's especially important that Compassion works hard to bring the truth and love of Christ to children, families, and communities. Compassion also serves the child's family and whole community. You can sponsor a child in Jesus' Name! If you feel moved to share your love with a child in need at this time of year and give a gift that gives all year long, I encourage you to consider Compassion child sponsorship. If you simply are curious about this or want to spread the word, visit here.

The above images are courtesy of Compassion International.