Have you been following this year's version of the "Merry Christmas" vs. "Happy Holidays" debate?

Just in case you've somehow missed it, it has centered around the American Family Association's call for all Christians who still think that Christmas is the official American holiday of December to boycott the Gap and its subsidiaries (Old Navy and Banana Republic). The offense that brought it all about was the store's winter ad campaign that failed to recognize the true reason for the season, the birth of Jesus and his apparent role in the runaway consumerism that marks this time of year. 

Without rehearsing every twist and turn of the standoff and eventual resolution between the AFA and the Gap, suffice it to say that the clothing store responded to the threatened loss of over one million holiday shoppers (the AFA's alleged online support base) by doing what any respectable profit-driven retailer would do: appeasing all parties via a balanced dose of political correctness and carefully placed buzz words.

While a quick Google search can tell you more than you want to know about the details of this colossal adventure in missing the point, I would like to bring a bit of clarity to the actual issue at stake here: American Christianity's failure to recognize the great chasm between the true meaning of Christmas and the hypocritical farce to which we have reduced it in the eyes of our non-Christian, secular, postmodern neighbors.

At its core, Christmas is the day we celebrate the Incarnation of Christ, the profound act of agape love by which the God of heaven and earth -- the God who had every right because of our rebellion against Him to boycott our lives -- met us in our sin and ransomed us from it. He did so, of course, by sending his one and only Son to live among us and to reveal the heart of the Father to us, a heart filled with grace and peace, mercy and truth. Whatever else Christmas is, it is certainly and essentially this.

As a result, any genuine, God-honoring celebration of this holy day ought to showcase the children of God -- those who by grace alone have come to see in Jesus the true nature of the Father -- doing likewise. It ought to be a time when those who claim to be followers of Christ actually follow his example. It ought to be a time when we demonstrate unconditional, unwarranted, unmerited love toward those in our culture who have no idea how much God loves them, no clue how much He has done to prove it. But instead we are fighting with them, expecting them to say "Merry Christmas" -- a greeting that, if they were to use it in their ignorance, would betray them as hypocrites -- just because we do.

In the end, then, it seems that the only real problem with the Gap is that we Christians are not standing in it. 

Now, if that is a problem we are willing to address with similar passion and holy indignation, then the solution is within reach. We simply must repent of our pride and self-righteousness and live as the incarnational presence of Jesus, the very body of Christ Himself in this world.

But that, dear ones, will cost us far more than a trip to the mall.   

I had a fascinating conversation with a member of our church today. It had to do with my personal politics and the perception people have concerning them.

"I think I have a good idea of where you stand," he said, "despite your efforts to hide your political leanings."

"Really?" I said.

"Yes," he continued. "I gather you're liberal, even though I know you try not to align yourself with the democratic party publicly."

As my mind raced to remember all of the things I've said from the pulpit that could have possibly led this gentleman to draw such a conclusion, he said one more thing that helped me understand his perception: "In fact, [another member of the church] subscribed to one of the magazines you subscribe to in order to learn about the voices influencing your views."

Now he really had my attention -- someone in the church has actually subscribed to one of the magazines I read for the specific purpose of understanding the worldview I hold?!

Incredible.

Does this man, or the one who's been reading my mail, have any idea how many publications I read regularly? Does he really think I read magazines (or engage books, or watch the news, or download podcasts, or scan the television, or go to the movies, or listen to talk radio, or surf websites, or talk to strangers) for the same reasons that 99% of the people in America do? Does he have any idea how much of a critical thinker I am, how much of a cultural exegete I am, how much of a missional Christian I am? Does he have any idea that I regularly read Time, World, and Newsweek; Rolling Stone, Spin, and Paste; Wired, Entrepreneur, and Fast Company; National Geographic, Discover, and Popular Mechanics? Does he realize I watch Fox News and CNN; that I tune in faithfully to Sean Hannity and Campbell Brown, Glenn Beck and Anderson Cooper, Rush Limbaugh and Soledad O'Brien; that I keep my eye on Oprah and Phil, Conan and Dave, Jimmy and Jay; and that I skim the Charlotte Observer and the USA Today, the New York Times and the Washington Times? Does he have even an inkling that the periodicals Touchstone, Books & Culture, and First Things exist?  

Does this man seriously think that, by reading Sojourners magazine just because I do, he can understand my view on anything, much less on politics, religion, or the intersection of the two? Does he really think that Jim Wallis defines my worldview any more than Newt Gingrich does? That Tony Campolo shapes my thought any more than John MacArthur does? That Barack Obama represents my convictions any more than George W. Bush does?

Come on, people! 

And more importantly: Does he have any idea what it means for a faithful Christian to study the scriptures daily, to form a worldview from them alone, and then to take advantage of every resource possible to understand the surrounding culture so that he or she can more effectively proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Do you?

(Please see my follow-up remarks under "Comments" below.)

I woke up this morning to find my 2 year-old son Kore on the top bunk of his sisters' bed.

None of us knew he could climb up there on his own. We do now.

When my daughter Quinn, whose space had been violated by her younger brother's feat, found out about it, she said, "How did he do that? I'm seven, and I have trouble getting up there." Seizing the teachable moment, I replied, "You've got to remember, Sweetheart: your box of crayons is up there. A person can do very hard things when he really, really wants something."

My purpose, of course, was to cause her to think about the things that she wants, all the while watering the already-planted seed in her mind that, with the grace of God and by the power of his Spirit, she can do very hard things, too.

I'm not sure if it had that effect, but my words of encouragement did have a profound effect on me. (Funny how that works!)

And their effect has stayed with me all day: If I want holiness to be the primary mark of my life, then what hard things can I do? Things that I am not yet doing. Things that seem impossible. Things that would cause people around me to ask, "How did he do that?"

Things that would prove that I really, really want it.

Stereotypes are funny.

As a missionary priest, I almost never wear a traditional collar. The reason is fairly basic. In countless conversations with people I have found that it comes with too much baggage. Too many people have too many stereotypes in their minds regarding priests, and the collar seems to trigger all of the negative ones. Child molestor, terrorist, hypocrite, religious fanatic  -- I have heard them all.

So you can imagine the scene last week when I stepped onto the only elevator in the small hotel I was staying in. As the door opened and I began to step in, I heard a voice that jarred me from my daydreaming. There in the corner of the elevator, immediately in front of the control panel, stood an elderly Catholic priest dressed exactly as you would expect him to be.

"Going up, young man?"

Without thinking at all, I looked up to see the person whose deep, commanding voice startled me. Before I could look into his eyes, though, my eyes automatically stopped at his collar. And before I could direct my thoughts in a rational way, my mind raced along the predetermined path of stereotypical thought:

"Going up? Up where? Does he mean up to the fourth floor where my room is? Or does he mean up to heaven? Of course I am going up. Is he going up? He ought to be more concerned about where he is going..."

Then I just started laughing. "Yes, sir," I said. "I am. How about you? Which way are you going?"

"I am, too," he replied. After a short pause, he then added, "I just wish everyone was."

"Yeah, me too," I sighed.

Just then, the elevator door opened and we each went our own way. Two priests, one with a collar and one without, both wanting everyone they meet to realize that the stairway to heaven doesn't go all the way up and that the only way to get there is by faith in Jesus Christ.

Today is a very special day in the Wallace home. My older son Xander graduates from preschool this evening, and we could not be more excited. It marks a beautiful milestone in his life. It's important, and it deserves a celebration.

So even though my wife Karyn and I ferociously protect Thursday nights as our weekly time to stare deeply into one another's eyes and fan the flames of romance, we have made an exception tonight. There are, after all, a few things in life more important than date night. Preschool graduation is one of them.

But what about the far more important celebration today? What kind of priority does it get from those of us whose lives have been all-together altered by the occasion it marks? Who among us are postponing the otherwise sacred commitments of our lives in order to give it the attention it deserves?

Who even knows what I'm talking about?

For nearly 2,000 years, followers of Jesus have marked the first day after the forty days of Easter (cf. Acts 1:1-12) with a celebration fit for the King of kings. The day is called Ascension Day, and it's one of the most significant, yet least celebrated, holy days of the Christian year. It marks the day Jesus ascended not only to heaven but to his heavenly throne. Effectively, it marks the day our leader took office...forever.

As a citizen of heaven, then, whose King presently sits at the right hand of the Father, will you give the Ascension of our Lord the celebration it deserves? Namely, will you subject yourself to his reign and rule, trusting him by way of obedience in every area of your life, not just today but from this day forward?

There is, after all, nothing more important.