All that glitters is not gold, but most of it is Christmas.
Not even through October yet, another two months to go
before the big indulgence, and yet the shops are twinkling bright with neon
reindeer and tinsel Santas.
The big Christmas extravaganza is underway again and once
again, the Son of God is likely to get lost in the wrappings. Indeed, in some
places he has been thrown out of the festivities altogether, deemed too
divisive to be celebrated on his own birthday.
Maybe we should call this time of year the Big T. The Big
Temptation. For it is very tempting to over-indulge in food and drink, to
over-spend on gifts and party paraphernalia.
I’ve heard of a family who give their presents on St
Nicholas Day, which is at the beginning of December, and then spend Christmas
giving themselves to others in acts of selfless kindness.
Now that is a more suitable way for us to indulge ourselves
on the birthday of the Saviour who gave up everything – more than we can
imagine – so that we might step into his Kingdom as free men and women.
He didn’t come with tinsel, reindeer or elves.
His birth was announced by a host of angels lighting up the
midnight sky, though. Kind of puts our twinkling lights in the shadow.
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