The Rebel Jesus

I love this song, sung by Bebo Norman on his Christmas CD. I love the idea that Christmas isn't about packages and presents. Christmas isn't about "cheer" or "celebration." It is about Jesus, who was a rebel.

All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchant's windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurry into their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
We'll be gathering around our hearths and tables
Giving thanks for God's graces....

...And the birth of the rebel Jesus

O they call Him by the Prince of Peace
And they call Him by the Savior
And they pray to Him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill His churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in Him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber's den...

...In the words of the rebel Jesus

We guard our world with locks and guns

And we guard our fine possessions

And once a year when Christmas comes

We give to our relations

And perhaps we give a little to the poor

If the generosity should seize us

But if any one of us should interfere

In the business of why there are poor...

...They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But pardon me if I have seemed

To take the tone of judgment

For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment

In a life of hardship and of earthly toil

There's a need for anything that frees us

So I bed you pleasure

And I bid you cheer

From a heathen and a pagan

On the side of the rebel Jesus

-Written by Jackson Browne