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Have you
seen the 8-foot inflatable Jesus next to the
similar size Santa Claus at Wal Mart? You can
purchase the Santa for only, $29.00 that's a
savings of $8.82 off the regular price of $37.82.
Oh... the inflatable Jesus? You can't buy it. It
doesn't exist.
So what? This Santa
thing is so great. Look at this description: "Get
into the holiday spirit by putting this
8-foot-tall airblown inflatable in your yard, at
the office or anywhere! Simply roll it out, extend
the stand legs, plug it into an outlet and watch
it inflate. Santa and his wreath light up for a
glowing nighttime display. All necessary equipment
included." Wow! Christmas Spirit in a box ! What
more could a person want? All necessary equipment
is included!
Christians seek
something quite different. These giant inflatables
can be used as a metaphor for the Christmas that
consumerism has fabricated. The market-place
Christmas evokes a knawing emptiness that drives
us to buy more than be. The retailers urge us on
and on to consume the things that they want us to
believe will fill our yearning with joy. Like the
marketplace Christmas, we can inflate the
air-filled geegaws to make a big, bright,
experience. Yet they are made large by their very
emptiness. And to keep them large, the fan that
both creates and fills the emptiness must run
continually. Turn it off, and you have a puddle of
colorful fabric.
As we enter the
Advent season leading into Christmas, what is it
that we await? Sometimes inflated expectations
built around marketplace models can lead to a
deflating let-down. What we expect might have as
much substance as the inside of the inflatable
Santa.
O come, o come
Emmanuel. That is what our spirits seek. The real
substance for which we can chose to prepare
ourselves in expectation is "God with us." In the
words of the Eucharist, “Christ has died. Christ
has risen. Christ will come again.” He came
quietly to a filthy stable off the beaten path of
humanity. The Word made flesh changed the world
forever. But we can often let the din of the
marketplace interfere with our ability to hear The
Word.
Here's an Advent
shopping list to guide you as you prepare to
welcome Emmanuel, God
with us. Meditate on it each morning and consider
how it might help you through each day to not only
hear over the din of the marketplace, but also to
be heard spreading the Good New in Christ by “word
and example.” It is based on the five commitments
in the Baptismal Covenant.
__continue in the
apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking
of bread, and in the prayers
__
persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you
fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord
__
proclaim by word and example the Good News of God
in Christ
__
seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your
neighbor as yourself
__strive
for justice and peace among all people, and
respect the dignity ofevery human being
O come,
o come, Emmanuel. May your Advent and Christmas
season be rich with the spirit and joy of our
stewardship of our life in Christ. |
