Thoughts on CHRISTmas

Beto, an Ecuadorian friend of mine, recently told me that he "hated Christmas. I is the ugliest time of the year for my country," he said, "the time when you can most clearly see the disparity between rich and poor. It spits in your face. I hate it." At first I was taken aback. As someone who is on the 'richer' side of things, of course I would love Christmas..family, peanut brittle, presents, vacations...I've never known what it would be like to hate the holiday. Later that night, as I kept thinking about his strong words, I reflected on the economic paradox of Jesus- the King that was born in a manger. Christmas, the night that He was born, also reflected a time when disparity between rich and poor was as its highest. Because all of the inns were full, Mary had no other choice but to give birth in a barn, next to donkeys and cows. This realization, however, is not a sad one. The savior of the world was poor..Hallelujah! The king of Kings abides with and loves the poor...Hallelujah! Yes, Christmas is a time when disparity is magnified, but it is also a celebration that Christ came to redefine poverty and to turn our understand of 'wealth' upside-down.

In our modern day, secular society we have transformed the celebration of our saviors birth into a consumeristic hay-day that makes rich children richer and poor children more aware of their depravity. The question I pose is 'How can we transform 'giving,' an act meant to recognize the gift we are all freely given in Christ, into a true celebration of Jesus. I would bet that Jesus does not smile upon parents who buy up Toys-R-Us for their only child, celebrating 'in His name' or on all of the university students at San Francisco who receive new cars for CHRISTmas when their neighbors in Lumbisi struggle to provide daily meals. In this culture, that seems to have perfected the art of celebration, there is something missing, something that has been twisted when it comes to those days at the end of December. What happened to Jesus? How would Jesus want to be honored?

Disclaimer: After writing this except I realize that I have made a lot of strong generalizations. I am posing these questions as much to myself as i am to any other person. Something that can not be overlooked is that Christly giving has everything to do with our hearts and a position of humility. That said, parents showering their children with toys or friends exchanging video games is not an evil within itself. Any gift, if given with a heart of humility and love is beautiful. I myself grew up in a household with parents who have mastered the art of Christly giving. Although what my brother and I received was 'much,' I remember few of the actual gifts we were given. What i do remember is the realization and experience of their unspeakable love for us. It was always obvious that their giving of 'things,' was a physical demonstration of Christ's love and blessing for us all. Having clarified this, I wonder if as Christians we still have a responsibility to recognize the structural sin that has led to such extreme disparity and poverty in countries like Ecuador. Are there ways that we can transform our Christmas celebrations and in doing so redirect our hearts towards honoring Christ- a man who lived with, loved and delighted in the poor?