by Tim Howard
As the 2017 Christmas season began, I gave some additional
thought toward this time of celebration. I asked myself these questions: Does
frantically running from store to store looking for the perfect gift – for that
perfect someone add or detract from the joy of Christmas? Do I really want to
buy things I cannot afford or don’t really need? How would our families respond
if we focused more on our time together than the gifts we receive? Do material
things provide what families really want and need or is there a better way to celebrate the Christmas season?
After talking to myself and answering a few of those
questions, I’ve decided to conspire with others and find a way to celebrate the
Advent of Christ without yielding to the spirit of consumerism, which is very
much alive in our culture.
I’m not implying we should spend nothing! It’s not about
being stingy, miserly or acting like a scrooge. Share nothing, have nothing or give nothing. NO! It’s all about giving gifts but
giving gifts that mean something and make a real difference in a person’s life.
Spend less and give more – That’s my mantra this year! Sounds impossible unless you realize
that the greatest gifts we can give people cost nothing at all in a monetary
sense.
Three of the greatest gifts came to us through the birth of
Jesus Christ and you can give these three gifts to others. He came to reveal the Father’s
love. He came to give us joy and
He came to offer forgiveness and freedom from our past.
A Doctor by the name of Luke makes mention of these three
gifts by recording the announcement of Christ’s birth in the Bible. He says in Luke 2:10 -11, “the angel of
the Lord said to them, ‘…behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will
be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for
you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” Did you notice that Jesus came for
everyone and not just a few? The
very fact that God decided to live among us reveals His great love toward us
and when you add joy and forgiveness to the equation you have three pretty awesome
gifts. That’s not only good news, that’s great news!
The spirit of consumerism can blind us from seeing the real
message of Christmas. If we miss out on what’s truly important – the Christmas
season can be a burden to endure rather than a blessing to be experienced.
Maybe we should consider returning to the true meaning of
Christmas if we’ve missed it. A decision to celebrate God’s presence rather
than focusing on getting presents might be the best thing you could do. Give
more of yourself by serving rather than spending. You will have more money in
your pockets and more life in your heart at the end of the season. You will honor God by exalting His son
Jesus Christ and that’s extremely important since it’s His birthday
celebration. He is the reason we
say: Merry Christmas!
Many gifts can be purchased for people this Christmas but
Love, Joy and forgiveness are among the best – and they won’t cost you one
monetary cent!
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