Everything for Christmas

The billboards and other media assure us that Treasure Island stores have “Everything for Christmas.”  What a wonderful opportunity to fulfill all the world’s needs!

Will Treasure Island have just what you need for Christmas?  If they don’t have it there are a number of other retailers who are also promising to provide everything that you need for Christmas. Wow! Finally. The perfect Christmas!

Let’s see, how about world peace?  That would be spectacular! In which aisle would one find that?  An end to the AIDS epidemic would be another wonderful Christmas gift.  Would that be in the same aisle with frames or with artificial Christmas trees?  A little closer to home, perhaps you have some friends and family members who are out of work.  Would they find new, or better-paying, jobs in a particular aisle or would that be at end-of-aisle displays throughout the store?

The oil crunch has put a bit of a bite into everyone’s budget and the stock market is still weak.  Would that all be fixed in aisle two or aisle five?  Feeling a little stressed lately?  In what aisle would one find personal peace? A friend was just killed in a tragic accident. Where is solace for his wife and family?

Most of us would welcome a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Would we find that among Christmas lights, outdoor inflatable lawn decorations, or in that aisle set aside for gifts for that special someone?

Many of us will spend more time in stores and shopping online this holiday season, seeking what the marketplace screams we must have than we will care for our spiritual well-being and that of our loved ones. That’s understandable. We cannot escape the messages of the marketplace while the Word of God is constrained by modern-day legal Pharisees. Marketers call this stridence top-of-mind awareness. They seek to drown out thoughts of anything but consuming. That’s not to suggest that there is anything wrong with buying gifts for loved ones. It is the unrealistic promises and the stridence of the retailers that is a challenge.

But, we can make it quite different. On almost every stereo there is a little knob that is labeled “balance.” We can adjust the balance of the season in our lives just as well as we adjust the balance of our stereos, simply by being aware that we need to. We can turn up the Word of God in our lives and turn down the noise of the marketplace. The same eyes that are so good at finding a parking spot in the crowded mall can be turned to seek Emmanuel, God with us. It is simply a matter of awareness.

“The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” Luke 17: 20-21 That is the truth of the season. The shopping, the gift-giving, the gatherings and parties, all stem from wanting to joyously celebrate that truth. If we start with our emphasis on the truth of Emmanuel, then all the rest falls into balance.