Let Christmas not become a thing merely of merchant’s trafficking,
Of tinsel, bell and holly wreath and surface pleasure.
Beneath the childish glamour, let us find nourishment for soul and mind.
Let us follow kinder ways through our teeming human maze,
And help the age of peace to come from a Dreamer’s martyrdom.
- Madeline Morse
The sacred holy day of Christmas has degenerated into a holiday season pressuring consumers to spend unreasonably. Close on the heels of Thanksgiving Day—when we took time to thank God for blessing us with everything we need in life—Black Friday offered irresistible deals to enthused consumers. Then followed Small Business Saturday, a time to shop at “mom and pop” stores. Today is called Cyber Monday, luring millions to purchase gifts online. And every day remaining in this annual American retail festival, stores won’t let up on us for an instant. I wonder how long it will be before some enterprising merchant tags the Sunday between Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday with a name that encourages increased spending on a day when most businesses used to be closed.
Surely there’s something better than a holly-jolly-jingle-bell-rock-Rudolph-and-Frosty-and-shop-‘til-you-drop Christmas. We need to reevaluate our way of celebrating Christmas. We need to realize that a real Christmas has nothing to do with purchasing power. Instead, in an uncertain and dangerous world, the most valuable currency we can save and spend is hope. And the hope we have in Christ is not cheap—it was bought at an incalculable price.
Jesus is not the reason for the holiday season of shop-‘til-you-drop—He is the reason for the holy season of love, peace, joy, and hope.
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! His name will be the hope of all the world.” (Luke 2:10-11; Matthew 12:21 NLT)
Johnny R. Almond
Christian preacher and writer
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity
Read blog at http://GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com/
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