Ecclesiastes 5:11:
"As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?"A take on the Holiday Season. It doesn't even deserves the title "Christmas." Really. People spend thousands of dollars using plastic credit to please people with gifts they know they can't afford. Running from store to store with a list in hand to check off the people that you think need a gift in order to appreciate. Customers shoving and pushing each other on Black Friday for videogames, DVDs, and clothing like they were playing defense against LeBron James. People acting out of goodwill towards one another because green and red tell us to be nice for one month. Green and red are our colors that tell us to be good.
That's like South African president Jacob Zuma telling South Africans to be good for "one month" during the World Cup this year. (Which he did, due to South Africa's notorious crime rate)
People guard and protect the tradition of Christmas like that itself will make people feel joy. I see a flaw in that, because last time I checked the season is about Jesus Christ Himself. His Grace and Mercy by emptying Himself of Glory to become human like us. A baby. We think its cute that Jesus is a baby...but it blows my mind to think that our God, YHWH, Elohim, Jehovah, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the One who made you, came down as a baby! A helpless baby! Think about that...
Now, I don't think there's nothing wrong with remembering our Christ's birth. There are legitimately good things that come about as families gather together to have good ol' fashion family time, because frankly, we don't do it much in American society anymore. Yet we can all legitimately say that Christmas was and is hijacked. To be honest, most people don't have fun. Its pack the van, go to the stores, get the gifts, and endless holiday preparations. Christmas may bring some time of actual bad memories, because of events that gone awry with family, friends, work-related problems, the Great Recession, and self-esteem.
I just want to challenge the notion of Christmas to those who are tired of the cliche themes of "peace on Earth, goodwill to Men" if people don't know why He came.
1. Look at the Real Jesus - what was His Mission? What did He come here to do? Read the story of the Nativity with your family, or to yourself. Share the Gospel with one another to flesh out the end result and ongoing story that is going on now!
2. Give gifts that matter. Does someone need something? Need help due to the Recession? Give them gift cards or cash. Give them something they lack.
3. Write legit cards. Write how you really feel about someone. How has she or he impacted your life? Send the card to them. Don't just buy a Hallmark and sign your name on the bottom. They know Hallmark wrote it. One of my biggest petpeeves. Can you encourage that person somehow?
4. Tell your kids (or nephews, little nieces, cousins) about others in the world who don't have the gifts they get (i.e. the children of Asia, Africa, and South America). Just let them know to appreciate and have fun with the gifts they get. But don't forget to tell em' about the greatest gift we have, The Son of God, given by the Father.
5. To see the impact of how Christmas affects the lives of those who actually trust and believe in Jesus, type in for example, "LeCrae testimony" on YouTube (LeCrae is a famous Christian artist whose life was radically changed by Christ). I think that's one way to keep Christmas legit.
6. Don't talk about stupid, fluffy stuff at Christmas dinner. "Hey Harold, how about that Doopers' football game?" How about "we know somebody's going to win anyway?" Talk about funny family memories, share the Gospel, share your testimony, talk about the past year, talk about something you learned. Brain food is good for the Holidays.
7. Go for a walk. Don't be cooped up inside (of course, weather pending). Take a cousin, a friend, or family member out for a walk and enjoy the outdoors. If its one thing I really take pleasure about America is the fact we have lots of space. Space to just move. And we are a nation that is obese! Wow...
8. Watch a fun, Christmas movie. Pick something. Hallmark Channel has a bunch of cheesy films to watch. Play a game, like mute the volume and put your own text into it.
9. Play boardgames. Videogames if its fun for everyone (fighting games where one person remains supreme does not count).
These are just ideas. Not a solution to Christmas woes. The only human solution to Christmas woes is to look to Jesus and see why He came. Everything else is peripheral. Jesus makes Christmas fun! Makes us reflect. Makes us be filled with joy to be reminded why we are here. I hope you, my friend, enjoy with Christmas, and reflect on His love and power to save us from sin. From a little baby...to the King of Kings.
