In less than a week, the nation will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, which—other than Resurrection Sunday—is the highest day on the Christian liturgical calendar.
We will see nativity scenes, decorated trees, lights illuminating houses, and holiday music almost everywhere. People who are anti-immigrant will participate in Christmas songs, church services, and gift-giving, all in the name of Christmas. People who are anti-poor and anti–working poor—people who erroneously call taxpayer-funded programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and unemployment insurance “entitlements,” and who raid those programs to give permanent tax breaks to the wealthy—will participate in Christmas parties, family gatherings, and watching Christmas movies like “Miracle on 34th Street” or “White Christmas,” and so on. People who have hitched their political and religious wagons to the hate brigade—calling people from Somalia “garbage,” calling African nations “s-hole countries,” and supporting the bombing of vessels in the Caribbean without any evidence of drug smuggling—will celebrate the birth of Jesus, born to be the Christ.
In other words, in a few days, a great Christ-mass Hypocrisy will occur.
These same people will pause to celebrate the birth of a child born in the northeast African region of biblical Palestine. Let that sink in. They will honor a baby born to an unwed teenage Black girl who grew up in a first-century inner-city ghetto by the name of Nazareth—Nazareth, a place where one of Jesus’ disciples asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Think deeply about that.
These same people will tell the story of Joseph and Mary and how they were rendered unhoused because of Caesar’s edict that the people of the African region of Palestine be counted for taxes to the European empire of Rome. Thus, Joseph and Mary were unhoused and had to have Jesus born in a stable with the animals. People who demean, denigrate, and disrespect the humanity of immigrants will worship Jesus, whose parents had to immigrate to Egypt with him as refugees, fleeing the violent hate of King Herod. These same people would deport Jesus, Joseph, and Mary today if they immigrated to America fleeing repression. Think about that!
People who post pictures of Jesus holding AR-15 rifles, and who support illegal commandeering of ships in the Caribbean, will claim to honor the one whom the Prophet Isaiah called “The Prince of Peace.” They will sing “Joy to the World,” or “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” or “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” oblivious to the reality that Jesus advocated for universal health care by his example of healing people without cost—yet they are cheering the stripping of the ACA, which many of them do not know is also “Obamacare.” There is a great Christ-mass hypocrisy that will be displayed in a few days.
In the birth of Jesus is a message to “love your neighbor as yourself” (immigrants). In the birth of Jesus is a statement to bring good news to poverty-stricken areas (Nazareth). In the birth of Jesus is a declaration to show love, generosity, compassion, and to provide resources from the bottom up and not the top down. Just look at where—and to whom—God sent Gabriel to orchestrate the birth of Jesus.
In the words of Latin liberation theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez, God has a “preferential option for the poor.” That is the authentic and real Christ-mass message. Let it sink in.
Be equitable. Be authentic. Stay woke! Uhuru Sassa!!!
Rev. Dr. John E. Jackson, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ-Gary, 1276 W. 20th Ave. in Gary. “We are not just another church but we are a culturally conscious, Christ-centered church, committed to the community; we are unashamedly Black and unapologetically Christian.”
- Rev. John E. Jackson
- Rev. John E. Jackson
- Rev. John E. Jackson
- Rev. John E. Jackson
- Rev. John E. Jackson
