I hadn't seen anything this odd in a while.
It was a video of a church choir singing 'climate change carols' instead of traditional Christmas carols.
So, for example...
... the familiar carol 'Joy to the world' was changed to 'Cool Down the World.'
... the lyrics of 'Silent Night' became 'Silent night, smoky night, coal fired power, coal fired light."
... and so on.
When I saw this, I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.
It was bad in so many ways.
Yet it was mainly bad because it attempted to hijack the message and joy of Christmas with a political ideology.
And political ideologies are exactly what we need a break from... especially at Christmas.
Ideologies will never save us.
Sure, they may stress certain ideals, but they never get the big picture.
They speak of love and concern for humanity in general, but they don't show love or concern for anyone in particular.
And while those who follow ideologies may be admired for their zeal, they usually become self-righteous oppressors of their neighbors... as they pursue their cause.
In fact, as the Russian dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn put it, "Ideology is what gives evil-doing its long-sought justification."
Much of world history proves this is true.
So we need more than ideologies to deliver us and heal us.
We need something that will take away our curse.
We need grace.
And that's what God gave us at Christmas in the giving of His Son.
Because our real need has never been for right thinking... or a commitment to the right ideas.
Our basic need has always been for forgiveness and restoration to the One who made us.
And that's what we have in Jesus.
For in Him we have the Son of God humbling Himself for us... so we'd have the renewed hearts and lives we so desperately need... and could never possess any other way.
Or, as the original carol 'Joy to the World' has us sing... He came to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.
Merry Christmas!