A Child Is Born

Joy Upon Joy A Precious Boy

Israel hopes and trusts in His word;

In promises veiled in mystery.

400 years and now Gabriel is heard

Our awaited Savior we finally see!

Mary delivers, with radiant face,

The Deliverer of our sinful race.

 Our “God-With-Us”, perfect and holy

His life begins in condescension

In a bed of hay and stable lowly

While sheep and cows give their attention

Hope upon Hope and Joy upon Joy

Our Savior is born as a precious boy

Now grown, now groaning, blood in his sweat

Betrayed, condemned amidst sinners jeers

Hung high on a cross and paying our debt

His suffering helps to dry all our tears

Undeserved death; a man of sorrow

He opens the way for our joy tomorrow.

Death has no claim where there is no sin

Satan be damned, our Savior still lives!

 Killed on the cross, He then rose again

Triumphant now, forgiveness He gives.

Rejoice and be glad this Christmas day

The Christ-child will take our sins away.

Try Something Different

The passing of Thanksgiving marks the onslaught of Christmas consumerism. Every year there are the inevitable laments over the way Christmas has turned into extended (and expensive) worship of the idol of materialism.

Christians and non-Christians alike express their dismay over the blatant consumerism. They look down their noses at the insanity of Black Friday. The funny thing is that their own lives and spending habits expose a certain hypocrisy. It turns out that most people aren't actually interested in cutting back their own consumerism. Instead they try to redefine their consumerism to give themselves a false sense of moral superiority.

Folks reject the heathen, hedonistic impulses of Black Friday and instead indulge in "Small Business Saturday" thinking that is better, smarter consumerism. Or they indulge themselves on "Cyber Monday", which is obviously morally superior because you can do it in your pajamas with your little kids with you. There is now even a "Fair Trade Tuesday" for the most holy and upright of gift givers.

Before my sarcasm gets me in trouble let me say that I think that buying fair trade is a good thing and I love supporting local businesses. There is something commendable about that. However, the problem I have with all of these consumer events is that they can give a thin veneer of moral uprightness while still undeniably remaining ploys to get us to consume more.

If you want to approach the Christmas giving season differently from all the mindless consumption you see at Christmas the answer certainly can't just be consuming differently. YOU ARE STILL CENTERING THE CONVERSATION AROUND CONSUMPTION!

I have a couple thoughts on how you and I might go about Christmas differently. What if rather than thinking about our gift giving from a "what can I buy (consume)" perspective we instead thought about our gift giving from a "what can I create" mindset? What if we gave from our giftedness, passions, and skills and not just our wallets? Let get real. The time and effort spent on a homemade gift usually show more love and thoughtfulness than almost anything picked up at a store.

Why not learn a new skill so you can create something for your loved ones? Why not teach our kids to sew, write, paint, cook, and create for their gifts? Turn Black Friday into a day for Christmas Creations?

For some of us it seems a stretch to think we can create something for someone else. We are not artistic, crafty, or otherwise creative. If that is you, learn a new skill. Or dig deeper into you current skills. I guarantee there is something you can find to create that would bless others.

If you are still struggling with how you could turn from a Christmas consumer to a Christmas creator here are some examples:

• My non-crafty wife is an excellent cook. She has learned to do canning and has made fantastic jams, and ice cream toppings. She has also learned to make candy, fudge, and other tasty treats.
• For the busy mom consider making some quality, nutritious freezer meals. My wife and I would gladly receive these as Christmas gifts (hint, hint to any family reading this).
• Learn sewing, knitting, carpentry, painting, blog design (for those writers who struggle with technology), landscaping, etc.
• Mix up an assortment of homemade bbq rubs and herb and spice mixes. Shout out to my brother-in-law who blessed my stomach with this one a few years ago!
• Create a custom cornhole (beanbag toss) set.

I'd love to hear other ideas. I am currently trying to come up with ideas for gifts I need to give soon so help me out!

It is too easy to scoff at and mock the consumerism we see around us, all the while falling into it ourselves. Try doing something different this year.