Wednesday, November 28, 2018 (Advent One)

“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:25, New Living Translation)

                It must be getting closer to Christmas.

                I can tell because, like the infamous grinch’s heart, the stack of Christmas advertising, flyers, brochures, and the like has grown two sizes bigger than what we would normally get in our mid-week paper. It must be at least three inches thick. Grocery stores, Canadian Tire, Walmart, clothing stores, jewelry stores, toy stores, etc. etc. – all clamoring for my Christmas shopping and money. Black Friday deals, cyber Monday deals, sales and discounts – oh my!

                Remember the good old days when all a boy needed was his Sears’ Wish Book or the Eaton’s Christmas catalogue. What a Christmas wish list I could fashion from just a few pages – everything a boy could imagine. Skip the clothing section – right to the toy pages. Alas, those days are ancient history; now I am inundated with a plethora of Christmas marketing telling me what I desperately should want for Christmas or must buy for my loved ones.

The ones which really make me laugh are the TV car ads which portray people who are buying new cars for their spouses or children as a gift for Christmas. One even shows a man buying TWO trucks and surprising his wife, although I don’t know how he got both trucks onto his driveway at the same time or better yet, how he could afford two brand new trucks to begin with.

Far more realistic was the news story of a young family with a one year old and both mom and dad will be losing their jobs at Oshawa’s GM plant next year. They are deeply concerned about what will happen to them. Will they lose their home?  Will they be able to cope on less income? It is scary for them. As was stated on a TV comedy show last night, the G in GM stands for grinch. Except it isn’t funny at all. Why do big corporations always seem to do this kind of lay-off right before Christmas?

                What worth is all the Christmas advertising to this family or anyone else who may be struggling with worry about the future?  I can throw it all into the recycling bin, often without even scanning it, but one cannot do the same with poverty, huger, unemployment, sickness, homelessness and the fear of providing adequately for one’s family or even just oneself.

                Yesterday was declared (by whom I don’t know) as “Giving Tuesday” to which I say “Whooopee Doo!” – one day out of 365 or even 25 shopping days or whatever a year. It just warms the cockles of my heart at the implied generosity of devoting a whole day (!) to ease the burden of my personal want and presumed need. If you missed it, do you wait a while year before you give something back?

                Advent and therefore Christmas itself is not, in the least, about self gratification and piling up the goodies and gifts that the secular world insists we should have. There is nothing implicitly wrong in having nice things and demonstrating one’s love for close family with gifts or enjoying good food and drink. When we can afford this Christmas lifestyle, make sure we give thanks to God.

We can afford to spoil our grandchildren somewhat at Christmas, and not to sound self-righteous about it, we also often include a donation to World Wildlife Federation in their name. There are donations to local food banks. I won’t pass a pan-handler without giving him something. Susan and I aren’t filthy rich but we are blessed by what we have and then some. My mother also was a very generous person – we still get mail for her from the several chariotries which she supported – I am kind of proud of her.

The deep sense of hope as defined by the Bible is the perseverant waiting for God, once and for all, to change this world into its maximum possibility where love, generosity, true satisfaction, no more thirst or hunger, peace and love take the stage. We don’t see that culmination just yet, except in all the small ways when we are generous, compassionate, thoughtful, sharing and loving.  Advent reminds us that we are waiting with confidence and trust that real human need is not met by advertising and Christmas shopping  but met by the gracious, active, ongoing Love exhibited by God’s people on earth.

Dale