I am not the best in the world at walking the walk that I profess. I fail miserably and ask God daily to help me be real in my walk. I strive every day to not place more on others than I place on myself when it comes to discerning scripture or the understanding of who Jesus is in my life. I am not Pharisaical in my standards concerning others in their walk of faith the Lord leads them. However, when there is a dichotomy of words and practice that borders on hypocrisy it is time to sound the alarm.
I do not agree with everything Jonathan Merritt says and I certainly do not want this to be a “beat-up” Jonathan Merritt post. However, there are times that I agree with him. One such aspect is his 2009 article in the Huffington Post. I tweeted just the other day that Christians should not be offended by merchants sending one away with the words “Happy Holidays” and then not go to church on Christmas Day.” It is this statement that Merritt’s article seems to affirm as he says the following;
I often wonder what Jesus would think if he returned to earth at Christmas and surveyed the way all of his followers were celebrating his birth. What would the one who “has no place to lay his head” think about our gaudy decorations and lavish presents totaling over $400 billion in America alone? Would Jesus be pleased to find us remembering his lowly birth with materialism and gluttony?
