Christmas Reflections

There's a lot of talk the last few years about consumerism and Christmas. Our actions have become laughable and I think we need to laugh at ourselves. Click on this link and listen to the one about Jesus.

http://www.theonion.com/content/radionews

I resonate with the frustrations that so many of us feel. I am glad that we are starting to awake to the incoherence of celebrating the humble manger birth of the servant savior by trampling each other in sale stampedes. I enjoy joining voices with movements such as the Advent Conspiracy (look it up). Even Starbucks has a seasonal campaign to support efforts against AIDS (Red) that uses language taken straight from the pulpit.

But...

our trouble is actually doing something about it. I struggle knowing how to go past ranting. This is what I wrote in our church's monthly newsletter:

I have heard many people in the last few years decry the commercialism of Christmas. You see phrases everywhere that proclaim, “Jesus Is the Reason for the Season” and “Put Christ back in Christmas.” I recently heard several people in the media lamenting the loss of true Christmas spirit beneath the consumerism and commercialization. These people had absolutely no “Christian” agenda! But they sense something amiss with the way we deal with Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong; most people, including I, enjoy this season immensely. But so many of us seem to agree that this time of year has somehow been stripped of its foundational meaning. So it begs the question: What have you done about it? Putting bumper stickers on cars is a helpful reminder – but simply saying we want Christ at the center of Christmas doesn’t automatically put him there. In other words, who will be courageous enough to do something truly different this year? Will you and I choose to spend quality time with our families instead of just shopping for them? Will you and I remember the poor and the millions struggling with depression during Christmas? Will you and I be Christ-like in our actions instead of just talking about Christ with our lips?

In the power of the Holy Spirit, I know that we can. The good news is that Christ is at the center, whether we choose to put him there or not! This is encouraging as we enter the season that celebrates the birth of our Savior. Jesus was overlooked at his birth and still managed to save the world. I’ll bet he can do it again.