Why do we
give presents at Christmas? It's something that we've all grown up
with, and a good part of our economy is tied up with this custom.
Everywhere we go, we see decorations and posters and billboards; and
the special music is everywhere--some of it religious in theme, and
some of it isn't, but it all has a "holiday" message that
saturates our culture for a month, and then it all gets packed up and
put away for the next 11 months. We all know people who really get
into the flavor--they literally totally redecorate their house inside
and out, from the lights on the roof to the decorations on the lawn;
one of my friends warned me, as we were invited to a Christmas event,
that "Christmas threw up at her house." I've had friends,
and even people I barely know, beg to borrow money so their family
can "have a Christmas", and they can go overboard buying
more stuff they don't need or appreciate.
Yes, there
are good things about celebrating Christmas--it is a reminder each
year that God sent His Son to live as one of us for a short time, and
teach us Who God really is, and how to live a life in a relationship
with Him. If we learn the lessons that He came to teach, and catch a
short glimpse of His Glory, and His love, this can be eternally
important to us. If we use this reminder in His name, and show His
love and generousity, this can be one of the most important times of
the year. I find it interesting that we can go overboard in
remembrance of His coming, and yet in a few months, almost let the
truly important event of His life go almost unrecognized, But then,
babies are sweet and cute and easy to deal with; and an execution and
then a Resurrection are supremely important but not "fun".
Even
the emphasis on giving has a place--if we remember the lessons that
we are offered. The response of "wise men" from outside
the Jewish culture that had become ingrown and legalistic, who were
given a notice that came from a God who reaches out to all people, is
a wake-up call for us. Even the stories of followers like a man
called to His service, four hundred years later and hundreds of miles
away, who demonstrated with his life that we need to be open to the
needs of each other and willing to meet them without wanting personal
credit or glory, caught the imagination of a many people in many even
farther away places, and Nicholas, bishop of Myra, is still an
example of how to give--in recognition of need and in the Name of
Jesus, without personal credit or
return. Even the distorted and exaggerated stories of St Nicholas,
remembered as Santa Claus, remind us that giving is an important part
of life in God's world, and it is truly more blessed give than to
receive.
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