Now What?

Okay, we've re-thought what Christmas is all about. We have been challenged to spend less for us, so that we can invest in "heavenly things." So how do we "GIVE MORE?"



Glen spoke a lot this week about the foundational reality that Christmas, by it's very meaning and nature, is relational. It was all about God providing relationship with Him again through the gift of his Son. By giving us His Son we can know more about who God is. We got to see Him in the flesh. Now we have a much clearer understanding of who God is for the sake of relationship with Him.



So a couple questions I want to ask:

1. How do you give a "relational gift?" One thing we have done in our family, especially on Mother's, Father's, and Valentine's days are to give "With You" coupons. They say things like, "Redeem for One Night Out with Dad" or, "Good for a 10 minute back rub." How have you found ways to give of your self relationally?



2. Does it still look like or feel like a cop out? If you give someone a relational gift are you afraid they are going to think you are cheap? I guess the other question is, "Do you care at this point what they think or are you willing to break the materialistic mold and just do it because you feel like it's right?



Bring it! What do you think?



Griff

Ooouuch!?

I think I stepped on some toes today including mine. It’s tough for us anytime we challenge the status quo. For our culture the status quo is to spend A LOT at Christmas time. I think the original motive was and is still good but somehow we have become like a runaway train out of control. I wonder how it went from giving simple, meaningful and many times needed gifts to people you love in the spirit of sharing and generosity to an excessive and materialistic stuff exchange with people you love but who already have most everything they need and want? (Sorry, that’s got to be a run on sentence).

In case you weren’t there we read a story from Little House on the Prairie about the incredible excitement over a few simple things like a cake, candy, a cup and a penny. I don’t know if we can ever get back there. We just don’t live in that place. But, other people do.

I think its hard any time you go against the flow of what most of our culture does. I don’t think we want to be weird or seem like joy killers. Isn't that the point though? We want there to be more joy that has somehow seemed to escaped us in all the wrapping and ribbon and plastic. What kind of response did you have to the message this weekend? Did it spark an idea in you? Did you feel like I was way off base? Weigh in and tell us what you think God wants us to do with this whole “spend less to invest more” mentality.

Griff

Seeing Christmas from the "Other Side"

It struck me this weekend to think about just sinful my life has been. We don't like to think about it but that reality is always lurking in our subconscious. We have become very good at avoiding it. We just think about something else or look for someone that is a worse sinner (like there is such a thing) than us and that somehow makes us feel better.

It's kind of weird to think about our sinfulness when talking about Christmas. It doesn't seem to fit "the season." It's even stranger to think about a baby being born to die; for me. How is it right for a baby to be given to remedy that deeply shameful part of who I am? I guess it's not right, it's love.

I know it's not a good thing to focus too much on our sin. After all, because of Jesus, it no longer has any part in our identity. The bible calls us saints more than sinners. However, I do think it is good to consider how deep our sin can go and just what God did for us in giving us a Savior Child. If we lived out of that gratitude it would probably change much of the way we lived. What do you think that would look like? Just think how our lives, lived from this deep gratitude, might touch a watching world.

Your thoughts?