Black Friday

It's that  time of year again.  The blessed time of year when we celebrate the birth of our homeless, impoverished savior with unbridled consumerism.  I can't help but think this day, aptly named Black Friday, is the exact opposite of how the Lord would want us to kick off the Christmas season.  I can't imagine Jesus had Black Friday in mind the day he came to earth as a man.

I have had the misfortune of participating in a Black Friday shopping event once in my life about 8 or 9 years ago.  It was a frigid mid-western November morning as I gathered with my family to go out and get some "door busting" deals.  I was not prepared for what I experinced.

 We arrived at the local big box store and assembled outside with about 300 other men, women, and children to wait for the doors to unlock.  When the store employee near the door the crowd moved in and began pressing the people at the front of the line into the doors.  Once the he unlocked the doors they burst open and people rushed in and complete madness ensued.

Immediatly men and women were giving each other icy cold looks and  actually yelling at one another.  People were shoving and running to find the best deals and fill their carts with products.  I saw a fight almost break out over a $50 shelf stereo system, I was run over by one of those "I can't walk to shop scooters", and because I was so deer in the headlights amazed at what was going on I forgot to grab something.  I knew at that moment as I gazed glassy eyed at the madness that this would be my last black Friday.

As sick as the spectacle of that one Black Friday made me I wonder what Jesus thought of it?  Did he say "Ah, yes, this is how I envisioned that the day of my birth would be celebrated, people behaving badly to get good deals on stuff people don't really need, and going deeper in debt in the process."  I don't think so.  If Jesus were here on earth physically today I think he would flip over the tables of what has become modern Christmas tradition.

As followers of the one that was born on Christmas morning we should evaluate how we celebrate Christmas according to what Jesus thinks about those celebrations.  For most of us what we during the Christmas season and how we do it has been dictated to us through traditions that have nothing to do with Christ, or the Bible.  Can't we do it differently?

What can you change in your Christmas tradition to make it more pleasing to the Lord?  I believe that if we desire to discover the mind of Christ on this subject that the way we do Christmas is radically going to change.  I for one am ready to make Christmas about Jesus once again.