daily java

Daily Java:  

And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. (Luke 2:4-7)

On the floor of my living room is a manger scene. It is a fairly nice one. Someone gave it to me a few years ago and I keep it safe every year. This year the horn on the camel's saddle broke off, but I just super-glued it back on.

This year I placed a small set of lights inside it on the ceiling of the manger. I really like it because you can see it easily. And I enjoy looking at it.

I was raised in a Christmas-phobic church. The Church of Christ celebrated the pagan side of Christmas – Santa Claus, presents, stuff – along with the pagan side of Easter, too. They were totally against any religious celebration. I never have been able to figure out why, but I went along with it for over forty years, twenty of them as a minister.

When we came out of the Church of Christ, we decided that we would go whole hog on the holidays. The first church I pastored (a Disciples of Christ church) went all the way with a humongous tree and all kinds of decorations. And I liked it.

So we do everything: Advent, Christmas, manger scenes, along with all of the Easter stuff – Lent, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter sunrise service. I love them all.

And sitting here looking at this manger scene reminds me of how much I love it all.

The tree is all lit up, the windows are decorated, I even have the living room bookcase (which itself has two small manger scenes in it) decorated to the hilt. I just like it all.

Little by little, though, I am moving away from gifts. We spend entirely too much for no real reason except that our marketing culture tells us to. And if we don't, there is a national mourning period for not enough revenue.

Going in WalMart or other stores near Christmas can be almost depressing. They are decorated and the Christmas music is playing. But there is no real Christmas spirit. It is only a marketing ploy. The same with the malls.

In fact, WalMart starts not long after Halloween, which starts not long after Labor Day. They move from marketing season to marketing season and it is too bad if you don't want to. It is all a desperate desire to get you to buy things. The meaning is nothing, the purpose is nothing.

Yet I still observe Christmas. And I still like it. And will continue until I die.

I am glad my Savior came so I celebrate Christmas. I celebrate Easter because that is why he came.

And I praise him all year long.