Black Friday

-
Just in case you hadn’t notice the million ads on television or the four inch thick paper that arrived on Thanksgiving, today is Black Friday. This is the day that officially kicks off the Christmas shopping season with special sales that began at 3 am so, if you played your cards right, you could be done by breakfast!

I am sure that there were hundred of thousands who were out this morning and I know my girlfriend was one of them; only she wasn’t at the mall but instead cooking breakfast at a battered women’s shelter. Few are the things that motivate us to get out of our beds in the middle of the night; for some it may be the thrill of being in a crush of a holiday crowd (although I don’t know who!), for her it was the chance to do something for others and thereby show the love of Christ, and for some, out this morning, it was a sacrifice of their own comforts in order to afford a gift they know will bring a loved one great joy.

Many bemoan the fact that Thanksgiving has become the forgotten holiday as retailers rush us now, earlier and earlier, into Christmas with holiday displays and music as soon as Halloween but I think perhaps that we know something they do not. For you see Christmas is really an extension of Thanksgiving. We embrace this season of gift giving because we are thankful for the people in our lives. Sure there are some obligatory gifts that are given but aren’t most of your thoughts of what you can give to the ones you love? We are celebrating the coming of Christ because we are so grateful that God did not leave us forever separated from Him but has sent His Son for our redemption.

So bring on the sales, the trappings, the wonder and madness of it all because to a thoughtful heart it is the beginning of a prolonged season of giving thanks!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Friends

-
2008 has been such a relational year so far for me. I set up a Facebook account and from there discovered high school and college friends and even kids I used to baby-sit who now have growing families of their own. It’s been a time of reconnecting to people I never knew I’d have contact with again and it’s been interesting to see how we are the same people today that we were twenty years ago; only a little more worn out from use! When I was a child, I remember hearing in a sermon that in your life you will be lucky if you can count the number of true friends you have on one hand. That was preposterous to me! One hand? Five friends? I had way more than five friends! Of course I didn’t have the perspective at twelve that I do now. Now I understand. My definition of friend has matured with my years and I am so blessed by those “friends” who have matured along with my definition. Is there any thing in this world as amazing as a friend? One with whom you can open your soul and know they are...
Read more

Safe

-
My daughter came stumbling into our room at 4 a.m. “I had a bad dream”, she said as she crawled into bed. Did she want to talk about it? An immediate, adamant “No!” Ten minutes she was sound asleep safe in her dad’s arms. Safe When she experienced this bad thing she went to where she would feel safe. Later in the morning she told me about her bad dream and it wasn’t as scary to her in the 7 am brightness as it had been in the dark. Could we have explained that it wasn’t that bad and just a dream to her in the middle of the night? Not a chance, at that point she just needed to feel surrounded and protected. When trouble comes, overwhelming troubles like the constant crashing of waves on the seashore, where do you go to be safe? I wrap myself in scripture and claim the promises that God is… a refuge and help in time of need (Psalms 46) the Shepherd who supplies my needs and walks with me through the valleys (Psalms 23) the God who knows the way that I am taking (Job 23) who delights in e...
Read more

To skate or not to skate

-
Image
"It's just like riding a bike" I assured my daughter as we were lacing up our ice skates. "Don't worry, you'll remember how to do it." And so we clumped our way onto the ice and as she shakily pushed off  I realized unsteadily that my skates were way too loose. Clump, clump back to the bench. Untie, uncleat, pull the laces tight starting from the bottom, rezigzag through the clips, clump, clump back to the ice. Then I found that I was absolutely wrong. This was so NOT like riding a bike as I grabbed for the side of the rink. Tentatively I tried stimulate that muscle memory of how skating works and found my muscles were suffering from Alzheimer's! Perhaps it was from the lack of blood flow to my feet as the laces were now a fantastic tourniquet! Back to the bench, back to the ice to give to all the impression that I was a total novice. As I (so not!) glided around the rink I was incredulous! As a child living in faculty housing of Northland Inte...
Read more