Let Me Have Christmas!

It was one of the most unusual funerals I ever conducted. The deceased woman had converted to Judaism when she married her Jewish husband. He had long since died and as she grew older she had a strong desire to return to the Christian faith of her youth--and she did. I took her confession in a hospital room and we cried together tears of joy.

But her family connections were now strongly Jewish and I was asked to share the funeral with a young rabbi.

 He called me and very bluntly said, “You know, if you mention Jesus at the memorial service you will offend the Jewish people present."

"Could you just do your eulogy and leave Jesus out?" he almost demanded. 

Of course, I replied that what he was asking of me was impossible. I couldn't preach a sermon, I couldn't offer a eulogy, I couldn't even pray a prayer without mentioning Jesus!  To be honest, I was a much more worried about offending God by not talking about His Son! To make a long story short, we compromised. I preached the funeral (and talked about Jesus) and the he did the graveside service (and talked about death).

I have a few words for the ACLU, the Jewish community, the Muslim community, the public school administrators, and anyone else up in arms about the Christian emphasis at Christmas time: we Christians have feelings and rights, too! I find myself totally offended when you suggest I can't talk about Jesus or put on display the symbols representing His birth at this season of the year.

When my religious freedom and yours clash in this country, it would seem that compromise is in order. I will make you a deal. If you will let me rejoice and celebrate Christ's birth at Christmas, I won't say a word about your overt acts of religiosity on Hanukkah, Ramadan, or Kwanzaa.

Go ahead. Light a candle. Take a pilgrimage. Chant a mantra. Put up a star of David or erect a statue of Buddha. It's a free country. But in the name of fairness, let me have Christmas!---Phil LeMaster