The busy reality of seasonal pressure is upon us.
Have you felt it?
I’m not talking about barometric changes as winter creeps in, but a weight that comes with this time of year through advertising, the endless loops of holiday media, and the lists impinging on calendars and wallets.
My kids have mentioned their lists, and my wife is feeling the burden of packed schedules, expectations, and finding time to do the shopping!
This reminds me of those seasonal movies, like the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic Jingle All The Way, where grown adults war over the toy every kid wants. Sadly, such scenes are also occasionally real and, I must admit, marginally entertaining. Why would grown-up people do such stupid things?
Despite my cynicism over the way consumerism has now obnoxiously defined this season, I must admit there is something quite touching in what motivates adults to stand in long lineups for what is often just plastic parts.
I am moved, honestly, that at its core, the motive is love for a child.
Now, the way that love is expressed can be problematic and misdirected, but it is the burden of love that seems to initiate the fight and anxious struggle.
In Jingle All The Way, the wife of Schwarzenegger’s character Howard is both frustrated and deeply touched by her husband’s willingness to war over the Turbo Man toy so desired yet so short in supply.
She says, “Howard, I’ve been thinking… everything that you went through today for Jamie really shows how much you love him. And if you’re willing to go through all of that for him just for a present, well, that makes me wonder…what did you get me?”
You may have noticed I have not used the word “Christmas” thus far. That’s intentional.
The rush of the season we live with is a misrepresentation of what Christmas is all about.
If you’re a Christian you know this, of course, even if it is difficult to live. If you’re not yet a Christian, then we welcome you in from the cold to join us as we work together to stay grounded and anchored to a hopeful and peace-giving truth:
Christmas is the annual reminder that God fought a great battle because of love and invites us into His rest. Ironically, those frantic fights over toys that are motivated by love are really a beautiful example of the love of God that is at the core of Christmas, to begin with.
The rush of the season we live with is a misrepresentation of what Christmas is all about.
God wants the best for us and all His Creation, and love made Him fight.
Revelation 12 tells the advent of the Son of God from a cosmic perspective and is presented as an epic battle that God wins for the sake of us all. It is capped off with this declaration: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Messiah…” (Revelation 12:10).
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16), and He was willing to fight to the death – and resurrection – for it! This is what God was willing to fight for you and me, and this anchors us when the world is in chaos, we’re frustrated, and we’re not sure what to believe anymore.
So, if we are to stay grounded in this season, let us anchor to two things:
First, do “Christ-Mas.” The word itself is an invitation to celebrate and worship and take in the overcoming love of God. “-mas” is shortened from “mass,” which comes from an old Latin word that refers to the “eucharist,” or thanksgiving celebration, for what Christ has done for all on the Cross that Christians remember with the bread and cup. So, to stay grounded, get busy resting in, contemplating, internalizing, considering, and rejoicing that, as Howard’s wife observed, love that fights can really be beautiful. In this season, center on Christ-worship.
Second, fight for love. What love are you willing to fight and struggle for? If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:11). Who are the people in your life, perhaps even enemies, that the love of God for and in you is urging you to do battle for?
This Christmas, stay grounded in Christ and in love—it will make all the difference this season.
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