Advent-ure December 11: The Politics of Christmas

In Acts chapter 20, Paul emphasizes the great care that should be taken when considering the teachings of Scripture. He declares:
26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

We have to be careful that we are not sidetracked in our study and application of the Scriptures. There can be a tendency to take Bible passages and use them to support a particular agenda, while ignoring or revising other parts of Scripture.  We cannot follow just the verses we like - we have to make sure that we are reading the entirety of the Scriptures.  At Christmas, we can place our focus on the coming of Christ to earth, and His call to us to be His disciples. We have the opportunity to celebrate the free gift of salvation through Him and resolve to live out that salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit and truth of the Word.

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God is working all around the world, and hopefully that is something you can take away from our Advent Guide, as we recognize that the birth of our Savior is being celebrated in many countries.  Take, for instance, today's reading, for Day 11 of our 25-day Christmas Advent-ure, Around the World in 25 Days!  In France, as well as other European countries, there is the celebration of St. Nicolas Day, which is based on Nicolas, the Bishop of Myra, known for gift-giving (in stockings) and protection, according to WhyChristmas.com.

In Romans chapter 5, we find today's accompanying Scripture passage, centered on the greatest gift that has even been extended:
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

Today, I want to make sure we place the emphasis on the nature of the gift that our Lord has given, because it's easy to get distracted from the message of Christmas.  Our Christmas traditions and celebrations can point us to the Savior, or they can get us sidetracked, if we're not careful.  In a similar way, religious pronouncements can sometimes run counter to the whole counsel of God.

The debate seems to ramp up this time every year; in addition to the annual controversies over whether or not students in schools or various municipalities can have Christmas programs or displays, but the issue of immigration tied in to the birth of Jesus and the subsequent trip to Egypt.

A United Methodist congregation has entered the fray this year in a highly politicized way.  According to the Institute on Religion and Democracy's Juicy Ecumenism blog, Jeff Walton writes:

A Progressive United Methodist congregation in Southern California is marking the Advent season with an outdoor nativity display featuring the holy family in cages.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the depiction of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees in cages likens one of the most well-known images of the Christmas season to photos that have become synonymous with criticism of the Trump administration’s border separation policies.

The post quotes Claremont United Methodist Church lead pastor Karen Clark Ristine, who said to the Times: “We don’t see it as political; we see it as theological...”

Well, two points here: the so-called family separation came as a result of attempts to control the southern border, and under great pressure, the Trump Administration took steps to end that.  However, because of the large number of people seeking asylum in this country, including the so-called "caravans," it placed a strain on our nation's enforcement attempts.  Fortunately, Mexico has stepped in to help relieve the pressure, as it should.  The other point is that it is contended that family separation occurred during the previous administration, and a photo from Arizona that actually that actually intensified the debate was from 2015, before Trump took office. 

So we have to deal in truth here about immigration, and it's offensive to think that the Christmas narrative is being used to promote ideas that have been used to divide and deceive people.  Walton writes, "IRD has previously covered a transgender nativity. Any choice to replace Christ with a political statement or gender-swapping affirmation is just that – making our own statement, rather than coming to worship the Lord who arrived in a humble manger."

But, this is par for the course, it seems, when you enter the immigration debate.  Democrat Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has even stooped to using Scripture to bolster his campaign, running an ad in South Carolina that features a highlight from one of his speeches, according to The Christian Post:

In the speech, Buttigieg, an Episcopalian, pulls from one of the more well-known passages of the New Testament in what appears to be a dig at Christian conservative support for President Donald Trump.

“In our White House, you won’t have to shake your head and ask yourself: whatever happened to ‘I was hungry and you fed me. I was a stranger and you welcomed me,’” Buttigieg said, referring to Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:35.

Buttigieg, or Mayor Pete, as he is called, has also used Scripture, according to Faithwire, to justify his support for legal abortion and does not apparently believe in a literal interpretation of Scripture, saying:

“There’s simply no way that a literal understanding of Scripture can fit into the Bible that I find in my hands,” he added, because “Jesus speaks so often in hyperbole and parable, in mysterious code.”

I guess that's how he can justify his practice of homosexuality and being married to another man, which are both clearly violations of Scripture; yet, Mayor Pete insists on lecturing people of faith based on his personal interpretation, which appears to be "another gospel."

Matthew 25 seems to often be used as a proof text for open borders, or at least a more liberalized immigration policy.  And, in the interest of building the case for allowing more refugees or immigrants into our country, there are those who insist that Jesus was a refugee.

Ariel Bovat, in a piece published at the Sovereign Nations website, which originally appeared at the Kaleoscope site, is not one of them. She writes:

The argument that Jesus was a refugee is used to sway public opinion in regards to those who have arrived or will arrive at our southern border seeking asylum. It appears to be a good argument. It is meant to pull at the heart strings of Christians who tend to be more conservative politically. Many will go so far as to attach the “welcome the stranger” verse of Mathew 25 to solidify the premise that Jesus commands us to care for those that are strangers to our country, specifically those that arrive at the southern border.

She contends:

It’s important to note that Egypt was not a different country from Bethlehem, but rather Egypt was part of a Roman province and Bethlehem was a town in Judea, another Roman province. Egypt was annexed to Rome by Caesar Augustus in 30 B.C and continued to be a province of the Roman Empire until 330 A.D. Both Egypt and Judea had rulers that were appointed and voted on by the Roman senate.

The idea that the holy family left their country of origin and arrived at the border of another country for protection is false.

Bovat also encourages Christians not to miss the big picture, wrapped up in the sovereignty of God:

God sent Jesus to Egypt and God brought Jesus out of  Egypt, for no other reason than to send a public service announcement reminder to Israel, though they would not understand it until after Christ’s death.

In the exodus, God brought Israel out of Egypt, pointing to the revealing of God’s covenant with them. Israel coming out of Egypt is the “model of redemption as deliverance from oppression and reception into divine blessing. It’s a coming out of the bondage of sin and going into the family and presence of God”

This is a quote from Michael Williams' book, Far as the Curse is Found.  Bovat goes on to say:

God sent Jesus to Egypt so that He could bring the Messiah out Egypt as a public declaration that Jesus was the long awaited Son of God and Messiah for the new covenant.

So, we have to be careful not to miss God's deep spiritual truths in order to score political points. Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy stated in an article on the Religion and Politics website from 2014:

Despite claims of “biblical” immigration policy, the Bible offers no specific policy guidance on U.S. immigration law in the twenty-first century. Christian teaching broadly affirms the dignity of all persons, and the state’s vocation for maintaining order. But the details of immigration law, like most of politics, are matters of prudential judgment about which Christians and others of good will can disagree.

And, in an attempt to write in some deeper meaning to the incredible story of the Nativity, we have to be careful not to miss the love of God, fulfillment of His promises, and the glory of redemption  - all the execution of the sovereign plan of Almighty God.  According to Matthew 2:

14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,
15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

It's easy to get sidetracked and read into the Scriptures something that is not there, and we have to be careful to make sure that we are adhering to the truth that God has provided.