Christmas Greetings!
Posted December 24, 2009

Last week, something extraordinary happened at the holiday concert at Pioneer School in Lebanon Oregon.

It seems that as the students had begun preparing for the school's holiday program earlier this fall, a parent complained that including "Silent Night" in the repertoire represented too great a focus on one specific religion. So, the principal caved and removed the carol.

Or so he thought.

But after the end of the program – which, according to School Board Member Mike Martin, had one song with a sacred theme and 17 songs without one – audience members began singing Silent Night of their own accord.

Superintendent Rob Hess noted he wasn't sure who started the carol, but about 100 of the 700-plus attendees joined in. And when it was completed, the reaction, according to one audience member, was applause and cheers.

The complaints of religious preference when it comes to celebrating the religious traditions upon which our country was founded have become all too common in recent years. In a frantic quest for tolerance, too many have become intolerant of the beliefs and traditions of the majority of Americans – the same beliefs and traditions that have formed the foundations of our society for hundreds of years.

And the pandemic extends well beyond Christmas.

From the sacred institution of marriage and the sanctity of life to the education and rearing of our children, right has been exchanged for relativism and truth for "tolerance".

But this attempted subversion is nothing new.

Two thousand years ago, Truth became flesh and entered the world of fallen humanity, and almost immediately men rose up seeking to silence Him. They failed then, and they have been failing ever since.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember that as we stand up for truth today, we will undoubtedly face opposition. Yet, so did the Babe born in Bethlehem that first Christmas.

And just as angels heralded His birth with great joy, announcing peace on earth and goodwill toward men, let us celebrate His birthday with the same joy, knowing that despite the cultural and even physical battles raging in our state, our nation, and around the world, the glad tidings of the Prince of Peace born in a stable still ring true today.

Many of us are familiar with the Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the words to this poem, America was in the throes of the Civil War. Humanly speaking, peace seemed far away.

Yet, the words of the final two stanzas remind us that even in troubled times, we have cause for hope:

And in despair I bowed my head

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men."

As you celebrate Christmas with family and friends, may you remember the good tidings and everlasting hope of the King born in Bethlehem.

Merry Christmas from the NJFPC!

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