Where is Christ?
Kip Ward
Posted: 12.15.2008 / 9:01 PM PST
We have a guy in our town and I’m not certain what his name is but I recognize him when I see him.
He’s the guy that came to my hotel last week and taped a Merry Christmas sign on my front window. It had a cartoon of Santa driving a sleigh full of gifts. My wife Katrica was at the front desk when he showed up and politely asked him what he was doing. He got cranky with her and simply replied that it was something he did every year. He finished taping the sign up and left.
It seems a fairly innocuous thing to do. Maybe even a nice thing really; to give us a nice Christmas sign.
I took the sign down as soon as I saw it after all not everything is packaged as it is labeled. I had seen that man before. I saw him this summer picketing in front of City Hall. His signs read that Sodomy was a sin, and he was there every day, because Lincoln City had dared to market to the Gay and Lesbian market in Portland.
The next day a new sign was back, freshly taped to my front window. He is determined to put Christ back in Christmas. I removed the new sign as well. My wife’s brother Rick is gay and has a business in town, in fact there are a few gay and Lesbian owned businesses in town who all had received free Merry Christmas signs taped to their store windows too. Rick made the calls and the following day the signs were taken down.
I too want to put Christ back into Christmas and I have been trying for the last few years. I quit getting and giving presents about ten years ago. Instead I have substituted having quality get-togethers with my family and friends. I believe materialism often runs crossways to spiritualism. I try to give more, love more, and care more. I try to be more accepting and less judgmental. I, like this guy in our town, feel like it is not enough just to be good, I must also do good.
And there is the rub. He feels like he is doing good by hanging the sign and I feel that I’m doing good by tearing it down. And I admit that it makes me feel sad to throw a Merry Christmas sign in the garbage. But it is deceptive labeling. You are what you do.
The happy Santa Christmas sign, in his hands, not only stands for fear and intolerance, but it shoves this man’s brand of dogmatic Christianity down our collective throats.
Driving through town I notice most of the free Merry Christmas signs have come off of the front windows. Maybe the word has gotten around. I hope so; it would be a very nice gift to give to ourselves.
Merry Christmas
