Christmas celebrations had become completely too secular, full of drunkenness, gambling, and crude behavior. So, in the 17th century, in both England and the American colonies, Puritans managed to legislate the banning of Christmas celebrations.
Penalties were put in place, even for home observances. Shops were to remain open on Christmas Day. The idea was to focus on prayer rather than parties, fasting rather than festivities, repentance rather than rowdiness.
The bans were largely unenforceable, and within fifteen years or so, Christmas celebrations openly resumed.
It's hard to imagine trying to put any Christmas genie back in the bottle these days. But what can we do to make sure that Christ is celebrated, not overlooked?
My second thought in this series is to focus on what gift we bring. We celebrate that God gave us the gift of Jesus. If we are to be like God in any way, we should think about what gifts we can offer. And I'm not talking about the Christmas goodies you order and mail to your distant aunt and uncle.
In this season and beyond, let us consider what gifts we can present to God and to those God loves, which is everybody. We can share tangible, physical gifts. We can share our personal gifts, our talents, our time. We can give back things that God loves - prayer, fasting, repentance.
This may seem like one more item on a long December to-do list. But let's see if we can put God-like giving at the top of the list, which may give perspective to the rest of the items.
Speaking of gifts, a thoughtful but inexpensive gift this Christmas is one of my books. If you know someone dealing with crisis, someone who feels a deficit of love, someone who feels stuck in their journey, or someone who could use parenting guidance, I have a book for that. For fast shipping, you may want to visit an online bookseller like Amazon, search for "books by Cecil Taylor," and see what's available. The full list can also be found and ordered at Store.CecilTaylorMinistries.com.
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