Comments on: A Fun Christmas? Not This Year! http://cyberbrethren.com/2009/11/12/a-fun-christmas-not-this-year/ Devoted to authentic Lutheranism Thu, 24 May 2012 13:51:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Bruce http://cyberbrethren.com/2009/11/12/a-fun-christmas-not-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-9432 Bruce Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:32:42 +0000 http://cyberbrethren.com/?p=4098#comment-9432 <a href="#comment-9416" rel="nofollow">@Pr. Tom Fast</a> I like that! @Pr. Tom Fast
I like that!

]]> By: Randy Keyes http://cyberbrethren.com/2009/11/12/a-fun-christmas-not-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-9418 Randy Keyes Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:46:53 +0000 http://cyberbrethren.com/?p=4098#comment-9418 This is nothing new. As the book of Judges teaches us about God's people "cycling" from devotion to self-absorption to despair to repentance to devotion, so Dickens wrote the classic _Christmas Carol_ over 100 years ago to address this folly. It sounds like little has changed in Christian Retailing from 15-20 years ago when I was highly involved. Too bad much of Evangelicalism has tossed aside Advent and only "kept" Christmas. This is nothing new. As the book of Judges teaches us about God’s people “cycling” from devotion to self-absorption to despair to repentance to devotion, so Dickens wrote the classic _Christmas Carol_ over 100 years ago to address this folly.

It sounds like little has changed in Christian Retailing from 15-20 years ago when I was highly involved.

Too bad much of Evangelicalism has tossed aside Advent and only “kept” Christmas.

]]> By: Steve Newell http://cyberbrethren.com/2009/11/12/a-fun-christmas-not-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-9417 Steve Newell Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:59:00 +0000 http://cyberbrethren.com/?p=4098#comment-9417 We, as a culture, want to be entertained. We want to have fun. Work should be fun, life should be fun, etc. We want Church to be fun as well. When this type of attitude drives our view of life and of the Church, we end up with the happy clapply church services that we see across in American "evangelicalism" and in many LCMS churches. We confuse fun for joy. We, as a culture, want to be entertained. We want to have fun. Work should be fun, life should be fun, etc. We want Church to be fun as well. When this type of attitude drives our view of life and of the Church, we end up with the happy clapply church services that we see across in American “evangelicalism” and in many LCMS churches. We confuse fun for joy.

]]> By: Pr. Tom Fast http://cyberbrethren.com/2009/11/12/a-fun-christmas-not-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-9416 Pr. Tom Fast Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:30:55 +0000 http://cyberbrethren.com/?p=4098#comment-9416 Maybe fun will move over and make room for joy. Maybe fun will move over and make room for joy.

]]> By: jmark http://cyberbrethren.com/2009/11/12/a-fun-christmas-not-this-year/comment-page-1/#comment-9415 jmark Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:08:04 +0000 http://cyberbrethren.com/?p=4098#comment-9415 Personally, I am in favor of deleting all commercialism from Christmas. Between the senseless secret Santa gift-giving events I have to endure at work (the biggest secret is that I don't even like most of the people I work with!), the nearly eight weeks of secular music that floods the radio stations, the tsunami of mindless animated "holiday" specials that hijack the tv networks, and the politically correct atheist co-workers who send me "Merry Chris-Hannu-Kwanza" greetings via email, there is nothing I like more than finding a quiet candlelit church to ESCAPE from this pointless and empty seasonal goodwill. These things actually depress me--And I see them as inescapable proof that we needed God to die in our place to save us from ourselves and our ridiculous behavior and thinking. Make Christmas less "fun" and it might be less stressful, more peaceful, and give more reason for hope rather than despair. Personally, I am in favor of deleting all commercialism from Christmas. Between the senseless secret Santa gift-giving events I have to endure at work (the biggest secret is that I don’t even like most of the people I work with!), the nearly eight weeks of secular music that floods the radio stations, the tsunami of mindless animated “holiday” specials that hijack the tv networks, and the politically correct atheist co-workers who send me “Merry Chris-Hannu-Kwanza” greetings via email, there is nothing I like more than finding a quiet candlelit church to ESCAPE from this pointless and empty seasonal goodwill. These things actually depress me–And I see them as inescapable proof that we needed God to die in our place to save us from ourselves and our ridiculous behavior and thinking. Make Christmas less “fun” and it might be less stressful, more peaceful, and give more reason for hope rather than despair.

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