'Tis the season for that old canard about "putting Christ back into Christmas."
Not a completely unreasonable request, but I am often tempted to respond with the thought that we really ought to "put Christ back into Christianity." Put Christ back into the churches. Put Christ back into the pulpits. Put Christ-like behavior front and center.
But these are slogans and soundbites, bits of shorthand that hint at something deeper and more pressing. A more straightforward approach would be this:
When was the last time you turned the other cheek when someone struck you?
When was the last time you forgave someone who injured you?
When was the last time you saw someone on the side of the road, in distress, and you stopped and helped, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan?
When was the last time you welcomed a stranger?
When was the last time you healed someone?
When was the last time you gave a cup of water to someone who was thirsty, or food to someone who was hungry?
When was the last time you asked your Father God to give you your daily bread?
When was the last time you went to a garden and spent the night in prayer?
When was the last time someone asked you for your coat and you gave him your cloak too?
When was the last time you sold what you had and gave the money to the poor?
When was the last time you hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors and other social undesirables?
When was the last time you laid your hands on someone who was ill?
When was the last time you wept?
When was the last time you put aside your own will and did God's will instead?
When was the last time you prayed for your enemies?
When was the last time you did good to those who hurt you?
When was the last time you decided not to judge someone?
I'll admit it: I'm not big on theology. In the Middle Ages, they had fierce debates on how many angels could fit on the head of a pin, but that's really not my thing. Doesn't interest me in the slightest.
I'm not sure Jesus was big on theology either. He didn't offer of anything on that score. He didn't go around making theological statements. Wasn't his cup of tea. Instead, he talked incessantly about people -- and about how we treat each other. He even went so far as to say that the "whole of the law" could be summed up in two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself.
