A continual Christmas

  • Published
  • By Chaplain (Maj.) Chris La Pack
  • 377th Air Base Wing Chapel
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Presidential orders and proclamations from Congress have designated Christmas as a national holiday in religious terms since 1789.

In a 1984 opinion upholding the right of a city to display a Nativity scene, Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote, "There is an unbroken history of official acknowledgement by all three branches of government of the role of religion in American life... The Constitution does not require a complete separation of church and state."

Indeed, it was always the intention of our forefathers to keep the government out of our churches, but never religion out of the government - as evidenced by the fact that most of the original 13 colonies required elected representatives to be of religious faith and that all 50 of our state constitutions reference God in some manner. John Adams, addressing the militia of Massachusetts in 1789, stated, "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people."

We have family members, colleagues and friends in harm's way right now, fighting to protect our nation and our Constitution. Among other freedoms, they are fighting for our right to say, "Merry Christmas" and/or "Happy Hannukah."

The First Amendment isn't about all of us pretending we have no faith so we don't offend anyone. It's about having the freedom to know and worship God as you understand best and to respect and appreciate the right of others to do the same. As a Christian, Christmas is a very important time for me and my family as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

For us, the birth is a symbol of the amazing depth of God's love for humanity and a revelation that God's character is one of great humility and servanthood. The Christmas story inspires me to reflect those divine qualities of love, humility and sacrifice in relating to others around me.

I thank each of you for the sacrifice of service you and your family give for our country every day. In living by the Air Force core values, you shine light into a dark world.

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, in his "Maxims and Morals," gives us great advice as to how we can keep Christmas in our hearts all year long. He wrote, "Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no ambition corrupt thee, not example sway thee, no persuasion move thee to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so thou shalt live jollily, for a good conscience is a continual Christmas."