“ Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6, New International Version).

On a recent trip to Starbucks, I was greeted with a display of Starbucks advent calendars and stacks of coffee bags with the word “Christmas” on them. But as anticipated, the red cup in which I was served my black gold was missing any of the traditional Christmas indications. It is the 2015 Christmas season scandal. Starbucks serves coffee from red cups that do not display “Merry Christmas” or any other symbol of Christmas. (See The Story Behind the Design of Starbucks Red Holiday Cups.)

The crisis joins a long list of Christmas atrocities. Remember when we couldn’t believe that stores decorated before Thanksgiving, and then, before Halloween? (I guess I’m in the minority to prefer Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and carols over witches, skeletons, and screams.)

Remember the year that Christians felt attacked because “Christmas” was shortened to “Xmas” in some advertisements? (I confess that I substituted “X” for “Christ” when I took notes in seminary. Since “X” is the first Greek letter in the title “Christ,” I felt more smart than sinister.)

Most recently. Black Friday, the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season, has begun on Thanksgiving Thursday.

The faithful cry: “Christmas is under attack!”

Really? Is our faith so shallow that we rely on a coffee shop to frame our Christmas message? Do we need the mall to sanctify our season? Christians are in trouble if we depend on any secular organization to promote our faith. Instead, let’s own the season of Christ’s birth by being Christian during it.

If you must have your $5 cup of coffee, be Christian and let the person behind you go ahead of you and say “thank you” to the person who prepares your drink.

If you don’t want that red cup, be Christian and give that $5 to a charity to give to those who don’t know how they will purchase Christmas gifts for their children this year.

It’s not the job of Starbucks or the mall to be Christian. Their job is to make money. It is the job of the Christian to be Christian.

Christians being Christian at Christmas … just a second thought.

Merry Xmas, bucks.

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