By now all your Christmas decorations are stored for another year, you have exchanged everything that is wrong or broken and may be a little sad that Christmas came and went so quickly. I always feel a bit sad when the last little drummer boy is finally tucked away and the twinkling lights and tinkling bells are dark and quiet. The rush is over, the shopping finished, the last Cantata has closed it’s curtain, no more special Christmas services, parties, and dinners, and our families have all gone home. It’s as if there is a rule written somewhere that says, “OK we will have no more Joy expressed in any way for at least 10 months; and none of that silly singing either.”
Like most of you, I have said, “I wish Christmas lasted all year.” I have changed my mind! I admit it; I was wrong. I have come to the conclusion that if Christmas, the way it is celebrated, lasted all year, it would kill most of us. Rushing, rushing, always rushing- pushing through the crowd for the latest video game that is sold out in every store in the continental United States. I called (no exaggeration) 15 stores this year looking for “Icicle Lights.”
Last year it was “Tickle Me Elmo.” People were actually injured fighting over this wiggly giggler. This year there is a whole line of Tickle Me Toys. I wonder how well they sold. The year before that it was “Snake Lights.“ I was in one of the Mart stores two weeks before Christmas and they had at least a thousand Snake Lights on display. The year they came out you couldn’t find a store that could keep them in stock. Do you know anyone now who doesn’t have at least one Snake Light?
It is human nature to want the latest fad. If I had been alive in 1903 1 would have wanted William’s latest invention. William Harley and that Davidson boy invented their first motorcycle. Of course I wouldn’t mind owning a 1903 Harley Davidson now for that matter, they only made a couple that year. I’ll bet a lot of you remember wanting and probably buying a 64K (64,000 bits) computer. These days it takes several megs (millions) just to boot one up. The technology grows faster than most of our bank accounts, and yet there is sufficient demand for “state of the art” technology.
We will always want things. I don’t think God minds us having things, as long as our priorities are in order. Homes, cars, and gadgets are fine so long as we; 1. Love the Lord and 2. Love our neighbor. Christmas Past was a time to do both, wasn’t it. Celebrating the birth of Christ and sharing gifts with those we love is important. Searching the planet for “Elmo and the Snake Lights” I could do without, but giving someone I love a token of my affection is a blessing to me. I think it is important to keep both of these commands now and in the future too. Loving the Lord and each other is truly the real meaning of Christmas. With that in mind, we can celebrate and keep Christmas all year.
What about the new year before us. Y2K is a year away. Get all the information you can, and be prepared for what is ahead. Most everyone agrees that the “Year 2000” problem is real. The degree of severity is all that is in question. Pray for our nation this year. With the White House in chaos, the Y2K problems at hand, and the Middle East always in crisis, the combination could obviously be cause for alarm. Keep your eyes on Jesus, He is leading the way.
