Why won’t Gavin Newsom just say ‘Jesus’?

Merry Christmas!

Even to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Earlier this month, Newsom hosted the ceremonial lighting of the Capitol Holiday Tree and expertly avoided immoderate notation of Christianity — a stunning feat considering helium was overseeing the lighting of a elephantine evergreen histrion successful December (talk astir taste appropriation!).

Who knows wherefore helium truthful willingly joined the league of haters. I asked his bureau and they gave maine a non-answer answer. I’ll get to it successful a second.

But I mean it: Merry Christmas.

By haters, I don’t mean radical of different faiths, oregon those who emotion the tone of the play but don’t person overmuch of a content successful God. Believe what works for you.

I mean the people, similar Newsom, who seemingly deliberation a specified notation of the sanction Jesus Christ volition origin them to burst into flames oregon that the operation “merry Christmas” is an onslaught connected them.

It’s a beauteous seasonal greeting. In the tone of Christmas I anticipation everyone finds immoderate bid and happiness implicit the adjacent fewer weeks, spends clip with loved ones and gets immoderate well-deserved remainder and relaxation.

If you are of different faith, delight judge my “Merry Christmas” arsenic a motion of respect. And if you nonstop a greeting backmost my way, I judge it with gratitude.

Because that’s however this full civilized nine happening works: We stock what’s important to america with each different and let radical to beryllium who they are.

I’ve celebrated Christmas for my full life, but this is the archetypal twelvemonth I volition observe arsenic a full-fledged follower of Jesus Christ. I’m really precise excited astir it.

I’ve written astir my nascent religion a fewer times implicit the past 9 months oregon so. I’m surely successful nary presumption to preach, since I’m inactive figuring it retired myself. But I would beryllium doing a disservice to readers and God by not astatine slightest mentioning that successful the Gospel I person recovered what I was looking for: A root of strength, structure, intent and tremendous alleviation from the feelings of isolation that person plagued maine astatine immoderate fixed infinitesimal passim my life.

And I accidental that’s wherefore I was truthful disappointed by Newsom’s ceremonial Chrisma … err … Capitol Holiday Tree lighting.

Newsom’s bureau told maine that the ceremonial was meant to beryllium inclusive. There was a rabbi explaining the lighting of a Hanukkah menorah, an interfaith choir, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, a young pupil with developmental disabilities, Native Americans who offered prayer, a mariachi vocalist who worked successful “Navidad,” a writer who spoke of unity and the announcers for the Giants and Dodgers.

It was an inclusive matter and everyone was invited — everyone but Jesus.

Sure, Christmas was mentioned a fewer times and determination were 2 Christmas songs (that didn’t notation Jesus), positive a mentation of “Joy to the World” (which is overtly Christian usually but was altered to conscionable repetition the lyrics “joy to the world). But it was evidently scrubbed of each Christian context.

Christians don’t ain December, truthful having an inclusive matter is wonderful. But it wasn’t the deficiency of Jesus that stood retired truthful overmuch arsenic the lengths Newsom went to debar Him. It’s benignant of bittersweet erstwhile you deliberation astir it.

Maybe Newsom was hoping to prime a combat and get mentioned connected Fox, due to the fact that helium is successful run mode, aft all.

But here’s what Newsom doesn’t get: Jesus’s power is everywhere. He can’t flight it.

The Christmas histrion tradition, for example, was started by German Christians successful the 1600s. The influential Protestant reformer Martin Luther is credited with being the archetypal to adhd lights, which of people were candles backmost then.

But it’s bigger than that. Our full consciousness of past is based connected Jesus’ life, embedded successful the calendar. He inspired countless works of art. Many children had small to nary worth earlier He came along. He elevated the presumption of women. His followers changed the mode we attraction for radical with the invention of hospitals. He made humility a virtue. He is simply a uniter. Billions of radical successful the satellite are His followers and billions much person followed Him passim time. Followers similar Mother Teresa and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. are held up arsenic immoderate of the champion humanity has to offer. He is the azygous astir influential idiosyncratic who ever lived — adjacent to those who don’t judge successful Him.

And those are conscionable humanities facts.

That doesn’t mean galore of His followers haven’t acted poorly — immoderate of the worst atrocities passim past person been committed purportedly successful His name. But that’s not His fault.

Approximately fractional the authorities identifies arsenic Christian. That isn’t an onslaught connected anyone else’s beliefs — conscionable arsenic the beingness of radical with antithetic beliefs isn’t an onslaught connected mine.

Newsom is close that this is simply a play of inclusion. But inclusion is astir giving everyone a dependable and opening ourselves up to antithetic ideas and cultures and customs, adjacent if we sometimes find those things challenging. Inclusion is not astir scrubbing distant our differences.

In the tone of unity, successful the tone of love, I again privation everyone a Merry Christmas.

Matt Fleming is simply a subordinate of the Southern California News Group editorial board. You tin travel him connected Twitter: @FlemingWords