Happy Birthday, Master: Some thoughts on Jesus.

C. S. Lewis put it bluntly. The famous athiest cum author and theologian said with fearless resolve that Christ was "either the Son of God or a fried egg." He saw no room for compromise. Either he was who he said he was, or he was a delusional nut-job. You could not find anything useful from the ramblings of a nut job, so a less than Son of God Jesus had no usefulness to those who cherish intellectual integrity. Else they be in delusion as well.

It is all or nothing. No smokey gray prophet, well intended but misunderstood, not really miraculous but a great teacher or some other kind of new age mumbo-jumbo. Son of God, or nut job.

If he was a nut job, it would take a lot of mental calisthenics to arrive at that. All of his followers had to be duped... priests, physicians, soldiers, fishermen, tax collectors, fallen women, even a thief on the cross. Then they had to steal his body, to perpetuate the scam, keep the secret and grow their numbers against all odds... all so everyone could be thrown to the lions, to the amusement of the Roman authorities... Every one of his disciples was persecuted, killed or imprisoned. If it was a lie, it was one which appealed to those with a death wish.

Then they had to scramble to live, to find refuge, to perpetuate the incredible fabrication... for what? To make sure their children suffered the same fate? Why? For pride? Stubbornness? A big joke on mankind? So Christ was a fried egg and his followers mere delusional, perhaps suicidal dreamers. That would take a lot of faith, given what happened after that.

Because this amazing God-man Jesus, whichever he was, who many would reject on grounds of logic and science, had more impact on our world than any other single man. So much so, we take it for granted, never even think about it.

Christians believe he was the Son of God, in fact, a member of a multi-faceted Deity, with three distinct manifestations. He was the human part, the One we could see, hear and touch, and relate to. But he was also there in the beginning: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Apostle John gave us the idea that Christ was there.. in THE BEGINNING.

Jesus was not only the Son of God, he was THE WORD, the breath of God, the spoken words, the translated thoughts, all the living, earthly evidence of the Creator; The Creator himself. We speak of the Bible as "the Word" but it is just an inspired paper document recording the message of God. And that message was all about Christ.

So no wonder our calendar reflects his world-changing life. For much of the Western world, our years, soon to be 2012, count back to his birth here on earth. Not bad for a fried egg.

The Western world then proceeded to become the most prosperous, inventive, powerful culture in human history. Today, even in decadance and near collapse, it is still more blessed than any other culture in the world. And most of its decline is due to its unfortunate evolution away from its spiritual roots.

As I have written, compare the Christian icon of Santa Claus, to all other figures in childrendom. Santa is the most loving, active force for their benefit, a symbol of God's Grace and goodness. The culture of Christ, His fruits so to speak, are always grace and love and charity. The Western world leads the rest in charity around the world, at every natural disaster, plague or human tragedy. Thanks to a fried egg, some would say.

Coca Cola made a soda pop bottle back in 1923, a slight modification of their 1915 model, and it was patented on December 25, 1923. Today we call it the "Christmas Coke." It is a popular collectors item. I can think of no other icon in our culture so... quintessential. A major company born in the United States, their product a delightful beverage, that appealed to the American sense of wholesomeness and idealism, choosing, not coincidentally, to put the birthdate of Christ on every bottle. Almost like saying, at every sip, "Merry Christmas." [Yes, I know, the original recipe for Coca Cola had a little cocaine in it, an understandable inclusion at the time]

Funny, a hundred years later, this company is the most recognized symbol in the world... next to THE CROSS. Coca Cola should remember that, that is what it built its umage on, as it stands on the edge of a slippery slope.

After Rome fell to the pagan hordes, Christianity soon filled the void of leadership and vision for the world. As long as Italy and Spain and France and England kept their Christian orientation, they were great powers. As their faith wavered, so did their influence on the world. Germany failed to ever be a world power because she never truly took up the cross.

It has never been a foolish thing, to just associate oneself with this alleged Son of God... or his followers. The children of Israel, now represented by the Jews, have partnered with the Western powers for centuries. It was Christiandom that finally gave them a place on the map.

The next time you see an old coke bottle, try to think of any German or Saudi Arabian beverage you like to drink. The next time you look at a calendar, try to imagine history without Jesus. Think of who else our calendar should have been centered around. You know, the savior we should have been celebrating every year.

No, he was no "nutjob," God forgive me if that mere suggestion offends Your Perfect Highness.

Else most of Western history has been a mistake, out of sinc, built on lies, a coincidence where chaos gave birth to order. (NOT!) Coca Cola was not shy about embossing his glorious day on every bottle for around twenty five years. Today, let's try to give this day the honor it deserves. The day we recognize the birth of the Son of God.

Happy Birthday Master

Coca Cola, once a subtle if inadvertant ambassador for Christ.

A new twist on Santa

They call it “The Lighting of the Doves.”

Santa and Mrs. Claus with several elves, float along and greet their fans.

Jingling as they go, the jolly entourage scoots by as families with their children wave with love and affection.

You can tell what a hit Santa was by all the cell phones that lit up as he came on stage.

When I first heard of this, being a redneck, and being from a place where rednecks and guns and fireworks and defenseless creatures are often mixed in various configurations, I was not sure how much I wanted to see this popular extravaganza. But given its prestigous location and my special host, I gave it a shot.

I had the pleasure of volunteering as auxiliary elf for Santa at this event in the Woodlands, Saturday on the 19th, where Santa Claus was of course the star attraction and was the honored guest who switched on the Christmas lights that illuminate giant doves who fly over the river walk there... It is a grand event in the American league of neighborhood pageantry.

When Santa flicked a giant light switch, all... hell broke loose with loud music and laser beams shooting in every direction, for a moment feeling more like an alien invasion, until we all just stood and gaped at the simple, primitive beauty of smoke and lights and artistry.

I had to remind myself where I was. As a kid I used to roam near these woods as a Boy Scout, always thinking of this area as total wilderness. When they began to break through the forest and lay roads, it seemed so absurd. The Woodlands always looked like a modernistic experiment in the beginning, not even real.

But The Woodlands finally wears a patina, it no longer feels like something just fabricated, and has become and sustained… what it was always conceived to be; A wonderful, idyllic community, where life happens like we all think it should, and seasonal festivals have been masterfully laid out, complete with live entertainment, vendor booths, children’s activities, and yes, magnificent beauty. After decades of doing this, by Saturday it had completely evolved into its self-projection, as a thoughtfully designed hometown, decorated to the nines in Christmas glory, with Santa floating down a flickering golden river-walk. And as he and Mrs. Claus stepped out into a crowd of tens of thousands, young couples, little children on their daddy’s shoulders, Christmas music blaring and bouncing off of the water, it made me suddenly appreciate this place I live in.

No, I do not live in the Woodlands. I, like most of you can only admire it from afar. But for that moment The Woodlands became something more than itself, as it so powerfully personifies who we are as a people. As Americans.

Only in a self-realized community like this, in the United States of America, can we Americans see who we are, or at least who we all want to be… if we only could. We often complain because we have so few cultural traditions… That we are such a melting pot of different peoples, we have no cultural identity.

Santa read The Night Before Christmas to a spellbound crowd, as his huge countenance was televised on a movie screen.

The laser light show was quite stunning, and the children's expressions were all shades of joy.

But look at this… this Lighting of the Doves; Santa,(a glorious one, if I must say so) is brought to the masses in the most dramatic and tasteful fanfare possible, to bring cheer and delight to all the little ones who still don’t know what a terrorist or a super committee is, and remind all of us of the wonder and bliss we had as children… and the kind we want to preserve for our innocents, for as long as we can. That is the kind of world we want… if we only could; Throngs cheer on Santa as if he were a conquering General. He is escorted to the stage with the diplomatic hustle of a worldwide celebrity… and he is. Families clutch one another as he engages with them, one at a time, in clusters, in mass. He is somebody we all know, trust, and love. People of all ages, religions, and cultures can enjoy him… because he is after all an agent of our collective identity, our national conscience. He is our alter-ego.

When you compare him to his equivalent in other cultures, you see how lucky we are. Mythical and folk heroes require centuries to create and are hard to expunge. Just think, we could have dreamed up a selfish, spiteful leprechaun, or been stuck with the Native American trickster, who kept his victims perplexed and frustrated. South American natives had a giant boa constrictor who made them murder and plunder. A review of the gods of India leaves us with no desire to trade our jolly St. Nick for any of their multi-headed, multi appendaged personages. And Santa is real, because he really represents our answer to all the weird, scary, paranormal freaks the world has provided to upset little children.

Santa is good, industrious, benevolent, and loves children all over the world. And that is who we are too… as long as we believe.

So I’m through trashing our old, reliable elf, through complaining about the lack of Christ in Christmas, since after much study, I realize that Christmas is not really Jesus’ birthday, it is and always has been a convenient time to make a tribute to his birth. That is all. There is nothing in the Bible about December 25th. And Santa, the old loveable elf, is an amalgamation of all the Christian values about loving our children, family and giving that Christ inspired.

For people who cannot wrap their brain around Jesus of Nazareth, perhaps they can understand the wonder in a child’s eye, as he or she looks upon love in action. And that is a good start.