iChristmas
I was in the local mall the other day and noticed that everything has gone all ‘i’ – iPhone, iTouch, iPod, iMac, iThis, and iThat. Now I’m not a big fan of the ‘i’ company Apple because I feel they charge way too much for their products (you can get other brand PC’s and MP3 players for a fraction of the price of Apple stuff). But the ‘i’ did get me thinking, so a big thank you goes out to Apple for inspiring this Faithblog.
It dawned on me as I looked at all of the ‘i’ products that Christmas isn’t really about a little baby being born in a manger any more, it’s now more about ‘i’. More specifically it’s about me, myself, and ‘i’. As I stood there looking at all the ‘i’ stuff I felt a little saddened that we have all but lost the main reason for the season in favor of bits of ‘cool’ looking plastic and shiny metal. I saw garishly decorated Christmas trees, Christmas children’s toys and gifts, Christmas clothing (I pity the guy whose wife makes him wear the clothes I saw), Christmas hats, Christmas cards… many, many Christmas cards (shakes his head… I’ll save that rant for another time), Christmas candles, Christmas food, and so on… Christmas was everywhere in the small local shopping mall, but nowhere did I see anything mentioned about Jesus. Nothing, nada, zip. Lots of stuff but no Jesus.
Moreover, I saw plenty that pointed to a cold hard reality… that Christmas is now solidly about ‘i’ not Him. We’ve been going down this slippery road for some time now and finally we reached a place where we’ve bought into a Jesus free Christmas hook, line, and sinker. We go out and spend, spend, spend, but to what end? We give and get things that we really didn’t need (in some cases want); we write and send Christmas cards to everyone and their uncle, and we celebrate. But when all is said and done do we even give a thought as to why or do we simply go through the motions, never really stopping long enough to consider the miracle that happened two thousand years ago?
Christmas whether we like it or not is not about us. Well it is, but only because God send His own Son into this world as a baby to save us from the world, the devil, and ultimately ourselves. Christmas is about a young woman giving birth to a wonderful child, a child that made both peasants and kings go weak at the knees, a child that grew into the man who, through His life, death, and resurrection from the dead, made a way for us all.
Think about this. God spared nothing that very first Christmas. He gave us the very best gift we could ever be given. It’s more precious than the finest pearls, silver, and gold. It’s better than all the big screen TV’s, booming music systems, and ‘i’ products out there. And it’s one gift that, once we realize it’s worth, we will not be giving back, re-gifting, or returning to the store.
So maybe this Christmas it would be good for all of us to take time out just to reflect on why, not ‘i’; because it’s easy to lose sight of the why when we are so focused on the ‘i’. Maybe you’ve never thought about Jesus as a gift from God. And maybe it blows your mind that the God of the heavens would come to this world and be born as a helpless baby. But he did. And furthermore he did it for us… Amen!!! 
Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
November, 2009
First off, "i" like the new comment set up.
Christmas has always been a struggle for me. When I was a child I was lavished with gifts by a "rich" father. As I grew older and the desired gifts cost more, the reality was that my father was not so "rich" and had been running on credit card fumes and broken promises. It was hard to switch. As our family delved deeper into a personal recession, even depression, Christmas fell by the wayside. In our family, it was never about Christ. Never about love or each other. It was about money. As it dried up, so did Christmas. It wasn't till later, and sitting in a psychiatrist office for a family meeting for a brother of mine did we (or maybe only me) realize it, by the way of the psychiatrist. After getting saved, I of course started a journey towards the right direction (with a few bumpy spots). With children of my own now, I struggle with keeping it simple and about Christ, family and others. I want so much to lavish them with crap. In someways finances has always kept me at bay, as well as my wife. From us, they get one gift and not even an expensive one. Of course they get stuff from relatives, so they are not unloved. I will say that one of the most valuable things to our children, are the traditions. Take that away, and they would be upset, more than taking away gifts. So maybe that speaks to something done right.
I will add one thing, and I don't want to come off as being judgmental or critical, but since I have started this journey on "social networking" with people across the world, I am sadly disappointed in the amount of believers that have bought into the $ aspect. People stretching their bank accounts and credit cards to buy the latest stuff. I was surprised at the people I saw standing in freezing lines on "Black Friday" to get a great deal, and usually only for themselves.
Once again Chris, great post. By-the-way, I will mailing you Christmas Card.
Hey Robert. Thanks "i" too like the new comment section. Works well.
You're absolutely right. We westerners spend way too much at this time of year, many of us going into debt to please others. I'm pretty sure this is not what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote that we are to put others before ourselves!
There has to be balance between having a good time with family and friends and celebrating the Lord's birth.
I love this time of year, but recognize that there is a growing spirit of anti-Christ greed and commercialism. My hats off to you guys (you and Elis) for teaching your kids that there is something more to this time of year than the "i" stuff that takes up so much of our society's desire.
Thanks for sharing Robert, as always a pleasure
Well, without being accused of pantheism (which would, honestly, be a remarkably unfair accusation, since the very mention of the word causes me to break out in hives), can I question whether it might actually be about us?
Here's how I might develop the argument:
1. Christmas is a part of God's narrative unfolding of His plan for salvation.
2. Jesus is God incarnate and the "new Adam."
3. Jesus, as the new Adam (fully man), realizes and achieves God's intention for the created human being.
4. Jesus, as representative for all human beings, calls us to the same sort of capabilities. (As in, "be holy as I am holy," or "…you may participate in the divine nature…").
5. We are, therefore, not only invited, but *expected* to involve ourselves in the same process, story, narrative, and locus of activity as Jesus.
Hence, the act of Incarnation (which, technically, is to be properly celebrated on March 25, not December 25), is the ultimate achievement of the first representative of humanity to properly achieve sinless perfection in godliness. And, to a degree, Christmas thereby becomes the announcement of *our* reworking.
Now, having said that, I still have to agree with you. Most of the schlock at the mall is pretty distasteful.
Jeffery, I would say that Christmas is about us, but only in the fact that Jesus has shown us the extent of His grace and has made us worthy through His life, death, and resurrection. It's good for people to get a grip at this time of year and realize that, without Jesus, we are nothing but dust or vapor (biblically speaking).
One of the problems with humankind is that we get too full of ourselves and think that we are something special, often placing ourselves above God and His ways and will. And this is something I have seen in the church all too often. I'm not out to human bash here but it makes me so mad when I see people elevating themselves and forsaking God in favor of the "i" mentality.
The easiest way to understand this: Christmas is only about us, in a round about sense, because it is first and foremost about Jesus!
Well, without being accused of pantheism (which would, honestly, be a remarkably unfair accusation, since the very mention of the word causes me to break out in hives), can I question whether it might actually be about us?
Here's how I might develop the argument:
1. Christmas is a part of God's narrative unfolding of His plan for salvation.
2. Jesus is God incarnate and the "new Adam."
3. Jesus, as the new Adam (fully man), realizes and achieves God's intention for the created human being.
4. Jesus, as representative for all human beings, calls us to the same sort of capabilities. (As in, "be holy as I am holy," or "…you may participate in the divine nature…").
5. We are, therefore, not only invited, but *expected* to involve ourselves in the same process, story, narrative, and locus of activity as Jesus.
Hence, the act of Incarnation (which, technically, is to be properly celebrated on March 25, not December 25), is the ultimate achievement of the first representative of humanity to properly achieve sinless perfection in godliness. And, to a degree, Christmas thereby becomes the announcement of *our* reworking.
Now, having said that, I still have to agree with you. Most of the schlock at the mall is pretty distasteful.