Holidays

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LIGHTS IN THE DARKNESS
By Stephen Schmutzer

Last year Money Magazine voted my city as “The Best Place to Live.” The distinction vindicated the opinions of most of us that live here, and it has surprised a few others.

Such praises aside, my city’s new policies concerning Christmas lights have raised a national uproar. Bill O’Reilly from Fox News has picked up the story.

My city is now the poster child for seasonal felony. The thinly veiled agenda of a left-leaning committee has handed down a divisive decision: public Christmas lights must be white only. Furthermore, public Christmas wreathes must be unadorned. All references to religion must be eliminated.

I shouldn’t be surprised that reactions have been quick, strong, and in poor taste. Our mayor has received threats sufficient to require he have police protection. I don’t care who you are or what you believe, but that’s not a good thing.

As one bumper sticker says, “The religious right isn’t.” The hostile responses are now fueling liberal ambitions. Nobody’s fooled here; that was calculated. But it doesn’t matter who threw the first punch. It takes two to fight. The motives and reactions of both sides are incredibly predictable and self-serving. History is repeating itself. Something loving and graceful needs to take the stage instead.

Now, I admit that my city is showing - what do I say here? – a ‘secular’ side. Its reluctance to permit a more Christian-oriented or traditional posture that I and many others would wish for at this time of the year has now become a choice. We’re all a product of the choices we make. My city’s choice has earned the outcry it has received.

If anything, this is a disconcerting commentary on the waning influence and relevance of Christian values in our culture today. This problem is bigger than Christmas decorations. The surge for political-correctness finds strong support for any hybrid view that a banner could be made for. The lowest-common-denominator is being elevated to the highest podium. The results are foolish and out of hand. There are people that push for the rights of vegetables, but they cannot understand the value of an unborn child.

More and more, the standards of our society require that good reason and conscience be left at the door. Everyone is right in their own eyes. More specifically, any message which expresses an alternative to man’s need for divine redemption is fast-tracked to the front of the line. It is unpopular to believe that there is an eternal God that loved enough to give His life for a price that nobody could possibly pay.


But there’s no excuse for those that walk the narrow path. God’s people are supposed to be agents of change. Salt and light should make a difference. Christians should recognize any opportunity to become true Biblical servants.

In the end, Christ will win the lost through relationships which are outwardly focused. Too few Christians really understand that. We’d rather write an angry letter to the editor than love someone who doesn’t do things the way we think they should. It’s easier to ask others to solve the problem.

For the real follow of Christ, the matter is as clear now as it has always been. Relevance invites discomfort. There is a cost to doing what’s right. It has always been this way. That’s the message of the Bible, and nothing about that message has changed. Real love involves real sacrifice. We are not insulated from the condition of the world we are in.

I drove down my city’s main street last night. It was late, and it was dark. The thousands of tiny white lights on the trees, lamps, and poles were incredibly beautiful. Everywhere I looked, a fantasyland was around me. It was magical! One side of me loved it. The other side of me lamented the bigger picture.

It was a moment for pause and reflection. I realized what was most important. It is Jesus Christ. He is the true “Light of the World.” We need to lift Him up. He has promised that if we do that, He will indeed draw all men unto Him.

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