When a person in history is remembered, honored or celebrated, we usually do it by carrying out the work of that person. For example, we would celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day by listening to the "I Have a Dream" speech or by looking at the progress of the civil rights movement. But for some reason, Christmas isn't like that. We celebrate the life of Jesus by saying things like "family" is the reason for the season.
I don't have a problem with family at all. In fact, I haven't seen my family since last Christmas, so I'm glad I'll be able to in a couple of weeks. Even still, I'm pretty sure they're not the reason for Christmas. If we want to celebrate Christmas, I think the best way is to continue the work of the person being celebrated:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Lk 4:18, 19)
I heard someone say recently that a Gospel that isn't good news for the poor is no gospel at all. So, I've spent some time looking for alternative Christmas gifts. Here are the sites I've found that either offer relief for the poor, or are concerned with something other than a commercialized Christmas:
worldvisiongifts.org - many ways to help the poor of the world
heifer.org - Get a family a water buffalo [suggested by Anders - thanks!]
redefine-christmas.org - their tagline is "give globally, act locally"
Here's some other alternative Christmas sites:
adventconspiracy.org - thoughts on Christmas getting out of control
rethinkingchristmas.com - user contributed gift/alternative gift ideas
christmasfuture.org - aims to help communities in extreme poverty
I'm still not sure what I'm doing for Christmas gifts this year, but I know it's taking a lot more thought than usual.
6 comments:
You forgot about www.heifer.org. Even though Larry thinks everyone has a water buffalo, it's not true... and you could help make that fabulous song a little more accurate. :)
Ah, yes! Duly noted, and corrected, with citation.
"A Gospel that isn't good news for the poor isn't a gospel at all" -- Sounds like something Paul would say (and not the Apostle - or the 'Old' Apostle)
Andy - I totally agree.
I think in the Jewish religion, we reflect similarly on all holidays:
We had it rough. We survived. Let's eat!
Lauren - Haha! That's awesome. :) The funny thing is, that sounds like all of Jewish history, too. So it just works out.
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