A Commercial Christmas
By: Angel Tseng
Christmas is here.
A time for shopping, spending, and giving or receiving gifts. Flyers and ads crowd the busy streets and cluttered stores, a constant reminder of the lovely sales we should all most definitely take advantage of. As we arrive to the jam-packed malls, we must all shove and shoulder, push and pull, give our all, to buy the object we desire; at a very good price, of course. We are not to surrender to the big ladies, or the mean ladies, but to our best ability, wrangle the object we desire out of rivals' reach. Our pockets will be empty, our wallets well worn, and that good ol' piece of plastic, maxed 'til it's of use no more. We shall rush home to our bratty kids, and watch them scream and whine over the latest toy we just could not find or afford. Hurrying through the needy homeless, the lazy, and poor, without so much a second glance, or a cent to their cups. Let us not forget our Christmas trees, their clanking ornaments and quaint little lights. Tripping and tangling us as we try with our might, to properly decorate their pines. Is all this what Christmas is about?
Ungrateful teens and bratty kids, moaning and groaning over the toy they did not get? Or a grace period for the poor and homeless; where the guilty and self-righteous come to donate some clothing and food.
Or is it another opportunity for large companies to dirty up and sell?
Is Christmas just another marketing event?
The True Christmas
By: Rev. Crook
As we were exiting Costco, hand–in-hand, my 19 month old daughter pointed and made sounds that sounded like “teee” “teee”. She was pointing at the birds as she made the sounds and looked up at me to make sure I saw what she was pointing to. Her face was aglow with the happiness that only comes when one is overjoyed about something. Such excitement! Such wonder! Such joy! Children are a blessing from God and watching them get so excited is a joyous wonder! Have you ever felt like that about anything? I ask the question because some people don’t ever seem to display that kind of joy. There is an account in the Bible that records the reaction of the magi as they searched for the baby who was born king of the Jews. Mt. 2:10 reads, “When they saw the star they were overjoyed.” The literal translation of the original language reads something like, “On seeing the star they rejoiced much with a great joy.” The original seems to capture in more basic terms the reaction of the magi; rejoicing greatly. I’m reminded of the experience of my daughter as I reflect on this Scripture. The magi’s rejoicing was pure joy and pure excitement! They rejoiced because in studying the prophecies of the One who would be king of the Jews, they knew that this baby would grow to be the Prince of Peace. He was the bringer of peace sent by God to deliver the message of reconciliation. The message that man could now know peace with God because of what this special child, Jesus, would accomplish. It’s easy to celebrate the season break because there seems to be a festive mood in the air around Christmas time. There are parties and gifts, and gatherings and fun that are Christmas celebrations these days. There even seems to be more of these than I remember while growing up. People are quick to embrace almost any reason to celebrate. But let’s be careful to remember the reason we celebrate. Let’s make sure that we, as those who are spiritual, recognize the uniqueness of the Christmas child, Jesus, whose sole purpose in coming was to die for the sins of mankind, so that whoever would receive His offer of salvation could enjoy peace with God. It’s my hope that as you celebrate during the Christmas holidays, that you have a “peaceful” celebration of the truest sort; peace with God through Jesus Christ. And let’s allow the idea of peace to reign in our lives throughout the New Year. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”
