Maybe I'm getting punchy as the week goes on. Twittering during Presbytery Tuesday night definitely enhanced life's absurdity quotient.These are serious days. Every day I hear of someone else who's been laid off or expects to be laid off soon. There's a special place in my heart for GM despite decades of being vision-challenged.
Some are saying it's a terrible time to run a church stewardship campaign, but I think it's a very good time. More than ever people need what only God can give through the church. And more than ever, we have a responsibility as followers of Jesus.
Every year we hear about "simplifying the holidays." This will be the year it actually happens perhaps. We will have some holy choices to make, bigger than choices like PS3 versus Wii versus XBox. This year, many will choose between buying groceries and paying the rent. Many will lose their homes and endure the humiliation of not being able to give their children gifts. The fortunate ones will be choosing between buying gifts that nobody really needs and sharing our resources to bring a glimpse of salvation to our neighbors.
We are on the cusp of what is supposed to be a holy season. I, for one, believe that Christmas trumps Easter in that we can't have resurrection without incarnation.
But we seem to cling to ridiculous and sentimental "traditions" maybe because they keep us distracted from the awesome ramifications of worshipping a God who gave so lavishly - to the point of giving everything. Everyday there are ever more outrageous purchasing options.
So how do we negotiate the holidays without losing perspective? Some have no choice. The rest of us can stop and listen for God's voice (she wrote at 2 am.) Clearly I need to slow down, too.
Painting is Sunday Morning Relaxation by Micius Stephane in the General Motors Center for African American Art, Detroit Institute of Arts.
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5 comments:
For those who have a choice (I am fortunate to be one of them.) I am reminded of what my Dad said to me all the time as a kid, "You WANT the Star Wars figure. You don't NEED the Star Wars figure." However, it's amazing that even as we get older, our fascination with shiny stuff gets stronger and more expensive.
I remember reading an article called "Simple Living" by a PCUSA young adult volunteer. Even he at the end noted that they aren't living simply, because they still have so many luxuries(the ability to post an article on-line). He called it intentional living. Not a new term perhaps, but I do believe an accurate one.
What do we need? I have worked at homeless shelters with volunteers who harumph at the homeless who have cell phones. Is a cell phone a luxury, particularly for a demographic for whom that number is the closest thing to an address they can provide a prospective employer? (Sorry for the run-on sentence, Mrs. Parsons.)
What are the shiny things we don't need? It's a question we need to ask every day.
My extended family is discussing limiting gift giving to the "grandchildren" level, using a drawing so each child receives one gift from a member of the extended family, and not giving presents to the adults.
Some of this is prompted by financial distress of a couple of members of the family, but it is also a realization that we don't need anything. Donations to favorite charities in honor of family members are going to be encouraged.
Piggybacking on the "needs" vs. "wants" - there is a series of alternative gift markets held in the DC area every holiday season. They are indexed at http://www.aggw.org/. You can buy school supplies for needy kids, things from the Heifer International project, all sorts of great things, in someone's name, and get a certificate for them explaining your gift.
The best part is that they don't collect overhead - 100% goes to the charity you bought the gift from. My family always includes something like this in our Christmas/Birthday giving and it's become really meaningful. The process of finding a cause that you know someone else really cares about, shows how much you really 'get' that person.
Great questions. Muffin Man and SBC and I watched the Advent Conspiracy and No Shopping Friday videos on YOuTube last night. It prompted really good conversation and planning.
There's a blog award for you at my place.
Thanks Jen.
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