Encouragement

It's Not About the Surface Glitter

by Jeff Drinnan
11/07/21
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It's more than just beginning to look like commercial Christmas, everywhere you go.

Surface glitter, to use a term author Herman Hesse used, is ubiquitous during this season of greed.

With the erosion of a Christian consensus in mid 20th century America, wrote evangelist Francis Schaeffer, the "age of personal peace and affluence" upstaged Christian values. Dr. Schaeffer explains: "Personal peace means just to be left alone, not to be troubled by the troubles of other people…Personal peace means wanting to have my personal life pattern undisturbed in my lifetime, regardless of what the result will be in the lifetimes of my children and grandchildren. Affluence mans an overwhelming and ever increasing prosperity — a life made up of things, things and more things — a success judged by an ever-higher level of material abundance."

This materialism was challenged during the cultural revolt of the mid 60s. The 60s counter culture decided that there is more to life than selfishness and greed. “They were right in their analysis of the problem, but they were mistaken in their solutions” — mainly Hedonism as expressed in drugs and sex", said Schaeffer

The revolt against materialism is lost in today's society. Today big retailers stuff their stores with goods and more goods, and use Christmas as a means to make a lot of money. Some stores are pulling out all the stops to fill stores with Christmas decor and music to inject feel good, artificial Christmas cheer to juxtapose Christmas with materialism. They parrot Christmas cliches for customers to get them to buy buy buy.

Along with the greed, some retailers are sucking up to the government and Red China by pushing masks, which actually does more harm than good. It's not about public health but controlling the population to accept arbitrary authoritarian policies without question or debate.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." 1 Timothy 6:10

“As the memory of the Christian consensus which gave us freedom within the biblical form increasingly is forgotten, a manipulating authoritarianism will tend to fill the vacuum", said Schaeffer prophetically years ago.
Christians need to see through the ungodly, crass materialism and remember to real reason for the season. "Don't copy the customs and behavior of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." -Romans 12:2

What's it all about, Alfie?

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. -Luke 2: 4-19