Not long ago I went to dinner with one of my daughters. It was going to be a great evening! I don't often get to spend one on one time with the girls in this kind of atmosphere and I was very excited about it. As we were being seated in the restaurant we passed an old friend of mine. He does not attend FBC and for the purposes of this story I will just call him "Ted".
Now, Ted sees us and calls out to me with the usual "it's been a long time"
and "it's so nice to see you guys". We stood there and talked for few moments to catch up with each other. He is soon to be ordained and asked if I was seeking the same. Soon the discussion turned to Christmas. He asked if were traveling and I said no. It was at this moment that I made my "Big Mistake". I asked Ted, "So, are you guys all ready for Christmas?". What followed next seemed to be a bad mix of Scrooge, The Grinch, and Billy Graham. "What do you mean ready for Christmas?" Ted asked. This was followed by the exclamations "I am so tired of all the ridiculousness of this season.", " No one seems to understand what Christmas is all about anymore!"
Then to my amazement he told me "Someone asked me the other day if I had put my Christmas lights up and of course I said "NO", "Why would I?" The conversation continued and he eventually apologized for going on that way.
Please understand, I love ole Ted. He has been a good friend over the years and he was there when I accepted Christ, cheering me on but, ....what just happened?
Did that family sitting near us just decide if that's how Christians view Christmas then maybe we won't go to the Candlelit service this year? Could it be that our view of how commercialism has killed the meaning of Christmas only nails the lid to the coffin in place?
I agree that Commercialism has corrupted Christmas but let's look at why we, churched and non-churched families alike do what we do this time of year.
Yes, we buy each other gifts, decorate our homes, put up Christmas trees, sing carols and have a nice meal together. Why do we do these things? I think it's because we love one another that we give gifts to express that love. It's to spend time with those that we love and to cherish family tradition that we decorate, sing, and break bread together. It's "Love" that sent a child to save the humanity. It was "Love" that died on the cross. It was "Love" that broke bread, sympathized, cared for, healed, and enlightened those who didn't understand who "Love" is.
It is "Love" that compels us to take care, that our words and our lives invite and teach others the fullness of the Christmas story and what it means for us today.
Just my Thoughts.
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