it's time to cancel christmas.

Yes, you read that right. We should get #cancelchristmas trending all over social media. It's long overdue anyways. Jokes aside, I'd like to present to you a few points that I think are really worth pondering over. Just hear me out. Before I dive in, however, allow me to share an exciting perspective I was taught a few weeks ago. All you young people who'll be spouses and parents within the next decade and a half or so (cough Gen Z), pay attention. Your children won't teach themselves, will they?

Last month, I sat in on a panel discussion. It took place during a Sunday service, in church, as a replacement for the usual sermon. The host (one of our lead pastors) invited two members of the congregation up on stage, and they spoke on what surrender to God has been like, this year. On the whole, the segment was filled with precious nuggets of knowledge and understanding. About two-thirds of the way through, however, one of the panelists said something truly striking. He's generally the kind of man that makes you sit a little straighter whenever he begins speaking, so the fact that he dropped straight fire wasn't surprising. As he presented his point in response to a question posed by the host, he touched on Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea. In that letter, found in Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus lambasts the Laodiceans, and in particular calls out their lukewarm nature. They are neither hot nor cold, He tells them. Now, for the longest time, I'd heard that this particular metaphor had to do with zeal: hot referring to being zealous for Christ, and cold referring to spiritual death. In hindsight, it's a woefully immature and lazy interpretation, if you can even call it that. I guess that's the result of me taking what I've been taught without critically engaging with said teaching. See the Christians in Berea, mentioned in Acts 17? That's what we should all do. Read your Bibles, folks. But, let's return to our point. This panelist explained that the metaphor Jesus used referred to the setup of the city's water sources, which the Christians living there would've been well-acquainted with. This view, though contested, holds that Laodicea received hot water from hot springs located around Hierapolis, a town to the north. It received cold water from Colossae, to the south. The hot water had medicinal properties, and the cold water was refreshing. The alleged problem was that by the time the water reached Laodicea, it had either cooled down or warmed up, depending on the source, thus being unfit for either medicinal application or refreshment. Whatever the full meaning of the metaphor is, here's what I'm getting at: Jesus wouldn't entreat us to be against Him. Therefore, being cold does not refer to being so spiritually. Jesus couldn't possibly say that He'd rather the Laodiceans be dead in their sin and separated from Him! That right there was the eye-opener for me. In a flash, I realised my old understanding was totally worthless.

Clearing that up allowed me to re-examine the text. It plainly says that Jesus wants the Laodiceans hot or cold, but not lukewarm. In other words, He wants them to be the real thing, not a facsimile of it. If you need cold water, lukewarm is worthless. If you need hot water, lukewarm is worthless too. If you need lukewarm water, lukewarm is worthwhile. However, Jesus needed hot or cold, nothing else. As it turns out, the Laodiceans were neither. So, out with 'em.

Now, what in the world does this have to with Christmas? Well, let me put it like this: why do you celebrate Christmas? Most every one of you reading will have an answer ready by the time you finish this sentence. No? Well maybe you've got an answer now? Okay, look; it's a serious question. I'd wager that most people celebrate it because it's tradition. After all, what else would you do on December 25th? Now, the more pious among you might say that it's only right to celebrate the Incarnation of only Son of God. And yes, that sounds pious and proper. However, there's a small problem with that point: do you actually respect Son of God every other day of the year? Do you obey? Do you love Him? Do you love your neighbour? I mean, it's far too easy otherwise. We have to keep it 100. Are you telling me that people will celebrate and have good time, supposedly in remembrance of a gift that they've been given, but they somehow find it normal to not actually receive the gift or respect the Giver? Make that make sense. And yes, I say receive because the gift was the Christ, come to save man from perishing. That salvation only takes place for those who believe, however: those who receive the Son, believe Him and live accordingly.

Now, one might make the point that it is still important to have a day on which we celebrate and give thanks before God. After all, God Himself instituted a number of celebrations in the Old Testament, no? To which I say, yes, it isn't a bad idea to dedicate a specific period to honouring God. However, God still examines the heart of all men. See Psalm 14:2. He testifies against Israel, as they observe these ordained feasts and celebrations yet reject Him in their everyday life. See Isaiah 1 (yes, the whole chapter). Notice how Jesus doesn't establish any such ordinances or celebrations, except the Communion. And for that, He conspicuously leaves frequency to His disciples' discretion. The apostle Paul suggests that it ought to be often. Whatever the case, it is meant to be a reflection of continuous heart posture, rather than an instituted practice Christians observe out of respect for tradition.

So, should we really cancel Christmas? I'd say, yes. If you're a believer, try going without Christmas for one year. No tree. No gift-wrap. No snacks. No movies. No music. None of these Christmas rituals and practices. See if that does anything. I'm not sure that we're looking for anything specific, but venture into it with the Holy Spirit and keep an open heart. If you're wondering about family, friends and acquaintances questioning such a decision, just come clean. It might earn you some odd looks and disapproving comments, but I argue that it's worth it. For those for whom it might be a bigger problem, well this is not the kind of thing to pass up to "keep the peace" or whatever. Maintaining a tradition without integrity, for social acceptance isn't the kind of peacemaking Jesus refers to in Matthew 5. There's no place for peace when something might be wrong before God. It behooves you to set your heart right with your Lord and your God, across all that you do. Think about it: we're doing anyone any favours, certainly not God, by simply going through the motions of life without giving thought to what we do. At the very least, we are stewards of the resources we have. We cannot waste our time, our possessions, our relationships or anything else the Creator has endowed us with on futile pursuits. As the apostle Paul said, "all things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful". He says so twice, in 1 Corinthians 6 and 10. He's not playing about with this statement. Are you quietly shocked that I'm insinuating that celebrating Christmas may be futile? Well, I am. If you do so for the sake of tradition, because that's "what we do", it most certainly is. If you do so without seeking to honour Christ with absolutely everything you are, it most definitely is. If, however, you take your relationship with God seriously, and realise that every single day ought to be one to celebrate the birth of the Saviour, then by all means, proceed. Shout from the rooftops, that unto us a Son is given. Compound all of your reverent excitement and jubilation into one great party and celebrate. Now, I realise that, at this point, there's a danger that I may sound a little sanctimonious. That's why I wrote, earlier, "seeking to honour Christ". Even the best-intentioned people can, and will, falter. The quest at hand is to honour Christ, but we cannot succeed at that every waking moment of our lives nor can we honour Him to the fullest extent that He deserves honour. We can seek to do that though.

All that nicely brings me to my closing thoughts. Much like Jesus in Revelation, I have no intention to entreat you to drop celebrating Christmas just so it matches the everyday posture of your heart towards Jesus. Nope, we're not going to do that. Instead, I want you to earnestly live for Jesus tomorrow, spurred on by the jubilation you experienced today. Then do it again the day after. And the day after that. So on and so forth, until you come to a place where every single day is lived in total gratitude for the gift given to us by the Creator of the world, and with unbridled zeal to share the gift with those you meet.

And that's who Christmas is for. Just like Communion. If you're going to truly celebrate Christmas, if you're truly thankful for the gift, if you're truly grateful for Jesus, it will not, it can not be limited to a single day in the calendar year. A tree is recognised by its fruit. If you're going to be hot, be hot. If you prefer to be cold, be cold. Don't be fake.

Merry Christmas.