Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Monday January 29, 2007

One day last week marked the downer day in the year. The paper said it was the day when notices of credit extended for Christmas spending hit the mails. Most people read their mail and while some just simply went into the back room and took an overdose, many went bonkers with fear, fear of bankruptcy, fear the husband or wife would discover the enormity of the overspending, and some just sat down, or laid on the floor and wept. Somehow this day which comes once every year eliminates the awesome joy of what we have come to call Christmas. Such a shame.

Commenting on this the great Plymouth Brethren theologian, Garrison Keillor wrote:

"A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's mandatory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together."

Please do not call me Pastor Scrooge but in all honesty I have suffered through enough Christmas Seasons to last me for eternity. I'm sure we will celebrate the season in that coming celestial city quite differently than we do here in the low realm. Over there it will be truly Christ Centered and rather than talking about what we did or didn't get for Christmas, we will joyously celebrate His long ago gift on Calvary, the gift for which we receive no billing.

I get a kick of out our Christmas program for it is given from the heart and there is never a charge, first come, first seated and if your late, well it's time you grew up and learned the ancient esoteric art of being on time. Years ago I pastored a very good church and the productions we put on were grand. I now attend programs at other nice large churches, and in addition read of the mega church programs, one of which last year cost over one million dollars to produce. The remarks about these programs are, "Boy, pastor, you should take this show to Broadway." Sure. Could it be that these well meaning souls who say such things are simply using a kind way of saying, "Please, Pastor, take this 'thing' someplace else."

I know Christmas 2006 is past, but the pain lingers on. And by next season, the painful lessons learned will have been forgotten and we, mortals in the Shakespearean sense, will walk down the same slippery slope once more thinking that spending more will somehow increase happiness, joy and true love.

Wouldn't it make more sense to live the Spirit of Christ each day and prayerfully find ways to enrich the lives of those whom we love, to touch them in such ways that bills would not come due in 30 days? A kind word, a visit, a good old fashioned down home talk or better yet an ancient listening session.

Like Mr. Keillor said, the Christmas thunderstorm comes once a year, and thankfully it's over; for a while at least.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with Credit.

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