It's the most wonderful time of the year

Been working on this one for awhile, sorry it's so long.

I love Christmas more than most. I love being with my immediate family, I love seeing family I only see once a year, and I love pinching my great-gradmother’s butt while she giggles and tells me to stop. I love Christmas songs (AFTER Thanksgiving…), I love Christmas trees and stockings and reminiscing on Christmas’ gone by while pulling out ornaments. I love drinking ginger bread lattes and ragging my dad about how gross ANYTHING with eggnog in it is inherently disgusting… I love that feeling on Christmas afternoon of total contentment that comes only through knowing the One true God – and the assurance that He knows me. I love candle light services and wearing red and green anything together – I really, really, really love Christmas. But, as is happening more and more regularly in my life, God is pushing me to say and do things that frankly make me uncomfortable, and He makes me ill until I share them. So, here goes.

I can’t count how many times I’ve heard “Christmas is MORE than presents and Santa!” Or “remember WHO this season is really about!” Or, even more in recent years “keep Christ in Christmas!” How true each of these statements! We know these are true, we know that there is more to Christmas than getting presents (say it with me – it’s more blessed to give than receive), we even know that we have more stuff than we actually NEED. But don’t you think that greed and selfishness are two big elements (detriments?) of the Christmas season…

Let me take a quick moment (quick? Wayne? C’mon…) to explain that recently God has been ruining me. He is pressing me with Scripture to say things I don’t really like saying – challenging me to believe AND live tough Truth, and to tell others when He gives the platform (check out Jeremiah 1 to see why I haven’t been sleeping much lately). I am not the Holy Spirit, nor do I fancy myself some spiritual guru. If my challenges don’t resonate with you, that’s awesome!

So back to the issue at hand: what is a Christ Follower’s response to Christmas when so much of what makes up the holiday are anything but Christ like? Drum roll please:

1) Don’t be a jerk. Check out Colossians 3:23 – if this is true (it is true) then you should shop as unto the Lord.
2) You have too much crap…Seriously, I’m sorry for saying it this way, but it’s true. Your children have too much crap too. Check out Philippians 4:11-13 and ask if your trying to get more stuff to be more content. I’m NOT saying you can’t and shouldn’t give and get presents this Christmas, just check the motivation
3) Be aware of what you’re buying. Two rules: don’t buy so much this year and there ARE some stores are better to buy from than others. Matthew 25 continues to perplex me, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to be held responsible for serving the least of these. When you buy stuff this Christmas, check out some of these sites (all use free-trade or better, slave-free labor, etc.): oxfamamerica.org, worldvision.org, uncommongoods.com, wishingfish.com, or relevantstore.com. They aren’t perfect, but they’re better than most.
4) On Black Friday, take cookies. Seriously, this has to be the meanest day of the year (well, every four years, election day is pretty nasty), so please IF you’re going to participate in this savings free-for-all, BE THE KINDEST, MOST HUMBLE PERSON WHEREVER YOU GO. Read all of Philippians 2 as a way to focus before heading out
5) Find one family in your community that is struggling financially and give them Christmas. Buy them presents, make them dinner, serve it to them live and in person – and then stay in contact with them afterward.
6) Be thankful.
7) Read lots of Scripture to your friends and family.

OK, that’s pretty much all I got. I don’t apologize for the Scriptures I’ve referenced above, but I do apologize if I wrongly taught from them. If you have any thoughts in addition to this I’d love to hear them! If you think I’m missing something, I’d love to see hear about that too – thanks so much, take care.

Much love
Wayne
Philippians 4:8