There is this perception attached to Christmas that you can somehow buy someone’s love. Whether it’s a brand new car sitting in the driveway with a giant bow on top, expensive jewelry which is suppose to symbolize love or a brand new phone that you can’t afford, what do all these commercials really mean? Do retail shops want Americans to go into debt, a way to make up for all the wrongs of the past? Are you judged by the size, quality and value of the gifts that you purchased? Or is this simply a scam, another way of suggesting tis the season to be all about me?
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6.
In 2004, Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis starred in Christmas with the Kranks. The premise of this film was to skip Christmas for a year. Instead of spending all of their time and money on decorations, donations and gifts, the Kranks decided to be selfish, buying tickets for an all inclusive cruise in the tropics. To afford these tickets, the Kranks needed to avoid the added expenses of Christmas, shunning the causes and people they associated with in the past. Everything was going as planned until their daughter’s surprise phone call altered this plan. A hectic rush to get their house decorations in place culminates by giving these tickets to a neighbor recently diagnosed with cancer.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth, John 1:14.
The hardest part about celebrating Christmas is breaking free from the traditions of your past. The house you go to, what you eat and when you eat your Christmas meal is hard to deviate from especially if inlaws are involved. Like the Kranks, there is an expectation to get a new tree, put up lights outside and throw a great party for family or the neighborhood. The more you try to do, stress builds, often stealing the joy many have for Christmas. If this holiday has become a burden to you, perhaps it’s time to change your perspective from me to thee, Jesus. My parents decided to start going to a mass that ended at midnight, singing Christmas songs for thirty minutes or so. This Christmas tradition helped me to see it’s not about me; it’s about Christ the king.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 