It's hard to watch television these days without being overrun by someone trying to sell something for Christmas. A simple tree lighting ceremony is filled with entertainers selling their latest CD. Now I certainly am not naive to the reality of retail. I understand that the consumer industry is a vital part of our economy, especially in these troubled times.
However, no matter how many gifts we buy or how many gifts we give or receive, we'll never turn off that little voice in our head that says, "Is that all?" Like it or not, Christmas is not found in the gifts that we give each other. In order to find the true joy in Christmas, we need to uncouple love and gift-giving and recouple love to the divine love of God.
The true Christmas is not about "shopping, eating, gift-giving and being with loved ones" as one television announcer said this night, rather its about the little gift bundled in a manger some 2000 years ago. The baby Jesus is the only way to satisfy that little voice, because Jesus says to us, "Yes, I am all in all."
Tomorrow, I will explore how to bring Jesus and gift giving to our children together in a meaningful way.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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