There's something weird about going into a woman's clothing store by yourself. This, of course, is coming from a man's point of view. It's one thing to walk into Victoria's Secret with your wife and five kids - it's entirely different to walk in there on your own. People look at you funny. People wonder what your doing there and their suspicious of your motives. All that to say, I try to steer clear of those kinds of stores for the most part.
But this brings to mind the weirdness of Christmas from a Christian's perspective. Maybe it should feel weird for us to be shopping during this time of the year. Maybe we should feel uncomfortable buying gifts for others and picking out gifts for ourselves from the point of view of a Christ follower. I'm not trying to put a damper in the Christmas spirit here, just trying to point out some things about how Christmas is celebrated here in the U.S.
I love this time of the year. For the most part it brings out the best in us, but, as was shown only a few days ago in the horrific death of the Walmart employee, it can also bring out our worst. We are a strange bunch. We'll stand in line for hours or even overnight to save a few pennies and yet how far do we go and how much do we sacrifice to the one who paid the ultimate sacrifice for us? Every year we need to ask ourselves the question: "Doesn't this seem a little weird?" What else could we do this time of the year instead?
I don't have any great or profound answers but I leave you with a thought from one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time. The band was Band Aid ( a mixture of British and American 80's pop icons who got together one day) and they recorded the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Does the rest of the world know it's Christmas? Does the world living in hunger and without adequate food, water and shelter even have a clue? As we go about our shopping this year, ask yourself this question? How can you and I make a difference?
