Schizophrenic Holiday Needs Separation

Christmas is a two-headed monster that doesn't think it is. The concerned observer can, however, witness at least two personalities at play that do not really acknowledge one another, yet occupy the same holiday. From one "personality" comes the high Christian commemoration of the Incarnation and birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the other comes the commercial "tsunami" of exchanging gifts with people in seemingly every social and relational direction. Each of these borrows terminology from each other, for such cross-pollination is inevitable given they occupy the same holiday space. However, I argue that they are very different "personalities" that are irreconcilable, thus making Christmas seem quite "schizophrenic" in practice, regardless of how much some may want them to be merely different aspects of one celebration.

On the one hand, there is the "Christmas" of commemoration. Arranging the calendar around the life and work of Christ, Christians start the year with the Advent and birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus of Nazareth. His Incarnation into a human fetus, conceived by the Holy Spirit and subsequent birth of the Virgin Mary in a stable at Bethlehem ("House of Bread") marks the beginning of both the Christian calendar and the execution of the Messiah's redemption. Indeed Matthew has summarized the meaning of Christmas with "Emmanuel, which means 'God with us'" (Matt 1:23). The great pinnacle of the story of redemption is in how God took on human flesh, stooped to the human condition, fully adopted humanity for himself, in order to rescue humanity from the curse of its own sin. Thus the carols, the hymns, the church services and biblical imagery of ubiquitous nativity scenes are ever appropriate to celebrate this chief of God's acts in history.

The timeless One entered time.
The ageless One became a newborn.
The all-sufficient One became dependent.
The all-powerful One became vulnerable.
The uncontainable One was constricted to a womb.
The One whom the universe cannot clothe...
...needed strips of cloth to stay warm.

Remembering this most radical of events in time is the stuff of the "Christmas" of commemoration. It is glorious. It is comforting. It is the catalyst and arena of worship.

On the other hand, there is also the "Christmas" of consumerism. Arranging the commercial calendar around this annual gift exchange, retailers have every expectation of "reaping a harvest" during this time. This has given rise to even the naming of the day following Thanksgiving "Black Friday," suggesting that businesses enjoy a sales boost that will put them "in the black" for the year. The attachment of gift giving among people to the biblical stories of wise men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus, or even alluding to Christ as our "gift" ("For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given" - Isa 9:6) have long since been brushed aside. Now the occasion is summed up completely in the oft repeated question to children, "What do you want for Christmas?" So pervasive is this collective assumption regarding the buying of gifts for all who one knows, that it produces it's own sense of cultural shame.

Anyone with an inkling of social reciprocity will spend money on gifts for as many in the address book that can reasonably be contacted - goes the belief. This has given rise to the office gift exchange, the sending of gifts to distant relatives and any other friends that one desires NOT to insult. In an ironic reversal of the legacy of St. Nicholas, the poor are not so much cared for by anonymous benefactors, but are instead shamed for failing to participate more fully in the festival of "give more gifts." Limited resources are a curse showcased by limited engagement in the "buying/giving" festival, constituting a perceived affront to acquaintances and loved ones in every social/relational direction. Christmas Day is then transformed into an occasion of guilt for having bought so little for those that you otherwise care deeply about. Therefore, the great American exchange of materials seems rather disconnected from the Christian holiday that uses the same label and date on the calendar. A separate holiday should be invented for this annual ritual that can be clearly differentiated from the commemoration of the birth of Christ (i.e. Christmas).

For this reason, I would like to propose a second holiday be instituted for this specific purpose: the festival of Tribuo Magis Munia (Latin for "give more gifts"). Certainly some etymological progression can take place to help this roll off the tongue better (i.e. "Christ's Masse" developing to "Christmas"). Nevertheless, the other "personality" within the calendar date called "Christmas" must be excised from "Christ's Mass." In our consumer driven free-market economy, it is unlikely that the festival of "give more gifts" could be caused to dissipate, reversing 200 years of "religious capitalism." Therefore, it would seem more realistic to simply give it its own name (even if it cannot be assigned a different date). This could offer people the opportunity to celebrate Christmas fully without having to engage the consumerist festival if they choose not to. Tribuo Magis Munia could then be a matter of persona choice, and even enjoy the secularizing influence felt in the rest of western cultural as well.

Christianity has been called "the poor man's religion," for the grace of Christ is offered free of charge to the penitent. By contrast Tribuo Magis Munia offers a costly "indulgence" whereby the wealthy may purchase "absolution" for neglecting relational connections throughout the year. Scrooge ecstatically proclaims, "the spirits did it all in one night... [because WalMart is open 24 hours]." In a somewhat reversal of the Gospel, Santa Claus blesses the children whose parents can afford his visit. Instead of "the people walking in darkness have seen a great light" (Isa 9:2), the people walking in poverty hang their heads in guilt for giving so little. Tribuo Magis Munia stands in contrast to Christmas, and therefore must be given its own festival. The two resident "personalities" of this schizophrenic holiday need separation from one another. I welcome help in the name progression, but desire to differentiate these for future years in our home.

Mournful Anticipation

Who can deliver us?

When will he come?

What shall be the occasion of the Lord's rescue?

Such is the sentiment of those anticipating a Savior. This is, no doubt, what would have been on the mind of first century Jews of Palestine suffering under Roman occupation. To add insult to injury, Joseph had to, by imperial edict, take his young (very pregnant) wife several miles back to his hometown just to satisfy Rome's "head count." This is no small imposition to journey on foot. How could someone imagine bringing a child into such conditions?

The mournful dirge can be heard from the poor, the harried and the oppressed. The sad "countenance of the conquered" is evident in every face that won't quite make eye contact. The imposition of a ruler's will upon people that will never met him can be a strong depressant. For those that hope in the deliverance of the Lord, the cry goes ever upward, "How long, O Lord? How long?"

There is a sense in which the American patriot directs this mourning at the condition of his own country, for indeed the steady usurpation of liberty from D.C. housed tyrants is cause for such lamentations. However, there is a far greater sense in which this lament cry is common to all humankind. It is the nature of man to oppress one another, to seize power and maintain it with undiscernible labyrinths of law and statue. There is no corner of the Earth where rulers are not exercising (or seeking to exercise) constrictive power over their people, and claiming to do so "for their own good." The United States of America is my country, and therefore the land for whom I cry out; but my song of mourning harmoniously joins the global and historic tune of all people wishing that "Caesar hadn't imposed his census on us this way."

But it is not merely for liberation from political oppression for which people cry out. We intuitively know that this is part and parcel to the human condition. Governmental systems may facilitate this oppression to varying degrees (I argue passionately that the US Constitution constructs a system least friendly to oppression of any in history), but it ultimately is NOT the fault of these systems that oppression occurs. The finest system will not completely rescue us from oppression, for such oppression has existed in so many systems of history. Thus, this instinct to oppress one another is resident within the human condition.

The strong impose their will upon the weak.

Observe any playground and the "bully dynamic" will reveal itself soon enough. Day care settings are laboratories in which this trait of the human soul emerges as well. Very few of those who work with children must be persuaded of the depravity of man; they witness it in seed form everyday. Some assume that with time the micro evolution of people growing up carries them out of such base instincts. Indeed such is the role of the moral training of parents and the Church. But this aspect of human nature is too ingrained, too attached to the soul, infecting all human pursuits.

The cry for liberation is not merely the longing for freedom from political oppression, but for liberation from the "curses" inherent in the human condition. How long, O Lord? How long must the world be as it is? How long must we be as we are? This is the most appropriate sentiment of Christmas Eve - the eve of liberation.

Tonight we mourn, and quiver with anticipation; yet tomorrow we celebrate and rejoice in the surprising, radical, unpredictable, revolutionary, unexplainable salvation of the Lord. How is it that the God who created humans, that subsequently have ruined their own condition, would rescue those same humans by becoming one of them? (Parenthetically - Let me make this clear: I have a great affection for my dog; but if he misbehaves, I'm not about to stoop to the level of the dog to get him back on track. He'll learn of my authority in other ways, but I'm NOT about to try becoming "like" the dog.) The God who creates humankind, though not responsible for its brokenness, stoops to the level of humanity to rescue it. Deity takes on humanity. He who arranged the pattern of the stars must now be nursed in the arms of a young woman. The One that made all things, and by him all things are held together, must now be changed a couple of times a day. None, none, NONE would have expected that. It is too outlandish to anticipate. Therefore, the rescue cannot be fully seen until it occurs.

And so the mournful tune is sung. The lament is heard from oppressed people of all nations and at all times, "How long?" The oppression has been more severe for some than for others, but all who sing know its sting. Our hope is not is a political challenger to the present administration, nor in electing representatives that share our view much more. Instead our hope is in the One who can completely address, rescue and change the human condition. The birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated tomorrow, but in the meantime the longing for deliverance must be massaged through mournful anticipation.

The Statist's Creed

We believe in one State,
almighty usurper of heaven and manager of the Earth;
and in one benevolent Leader - its head,
Who was conceived by the collective “spirit” of our age,
Born of a victimized minority,
Suffered under the hand of greedy Capitalists,
was enlightened through liberal education,
learned of our suffering through social activism,
was dismissed by right-wing conservatives
and considered unthreatening by political analysts.
He arose from obscurity bringing hope for our future.
He ascended into our highest office,
where he sits with our future in his mighty hands;
from thence he shall come to grant relief from our afflicters.

We believe in the “spirit of our time” and in ourselves;
We believe in the global community,
and the right of all people to be free from any suggestion of theistic
oppression from a contrived otherworldly construct of the mind.
We believe in forgiveness, but not in the concept of sin.
We believe in the sovereignty of our own body,
to indulge whatever pleasures suit us - for this life is all there is.
Amen.