Consuming Christmas

I heard a very intriguing segment of NPR's Speaking of Faith: Money and Moral Balance

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/moneymorals/index.shtml


O come, O come, Emmanuel....Come God With Us....well, only so long as Emmanuel doesn't get in the way of all our church parties, expectations, traditions, pageants and shopping.

Ever feel like all the "things" of Christmas completely mask its meaning? Of course what good is it if we acknowledge the "true meaning" of Christmas if it means nothing more than assent to certain one-dimensional beliefs? If it's such a moment of transformation, where is its evidence now? How do we embody it? Instead, here is our question...

What did you get for Christmas? Why is that the question that we ask of Children after Christmas? Why not, "What did Christmas mean for you this year?" or "Who did you serve like Jesus would this Christmas?"

I hear some say that it's inevitable--you just have to play along with the materialism so pervasive during the holidays and not try to fight it; know that it's bad, try to reduce it some, but just enjoy it.

But I have to believe that transformation is possible--that alternatives are possible. I hope to avoid piling up extra guilt on all of us for leading normal lives--certainly they don't warrant guilt. There's nothing wrong with all the parties, expectations, traditions, and shopping...the normal things. But maybe God can do something with our normal "things."

What would change if Christ showed up, was birthed into the middle of our holiday routines and schedules? How does that happen? It must go beyond getting it "right."

For instance, so what if I'm suddenly aware of poverty, inequality, materialism...so what if I even discover that God stands for the oppressed and for abundant life for all people--so what if my "understanding" is converted? I'm trapped in the things of my own individual world. I'm caught in a gulf fixed between a Utopian ideal and the reality in which I live. What can I do to bust out of my own bubble? How can I be an embodiment of Christ? Maybe the answer begins not so much with an outward explosion, but an inward searching...

David Goetz of www.deathbysuburb.net said recently something to the effect of, "Maybe we should just let the riptide of consumerism carry us through and hope to find Christ's peace after Christmas..." I think he's partially right. If we journey inward into our own lives, inviting God to sit with us in the inner workings of life, I think we invite God's current to pull us out into the depths of God's grace. And it's there that we are changed and transformed into agents of the reign of God.

Through God's grace, we can see our world with Christ's vision. With Christ's vision, we can see the inherent possibilities in each individual and the way that God can take any situation and resurrect it into new life. When we see those moments, even in the dull things, the tiny run of the mill middle class holiday liturgy (which means "work of the people"), we can choose to act as Christ would and therefore "be" the presence of Christ--which alone transforms us and indeed the whole world.

The inward journey involves prayer, reflection, and action, in a constant cycle--a kind of digestion. So maybe we can say we OUGHT to "consume" Christmas...

Encounter the world of Mary's Magnificat:
Luke 1:46-55 "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

How would our lives change if such a God got into our lives and started messing around? What would happen if we let this message digest in our souls?

Maybe, if we journey inward...the fruit will blossom outward in ways that only the one who is the true vine can produce.