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Text Box: It seems to me that Christmas started early this year. Santa Claus made an appearance in the mall I visited in mid November. A number of homes had lights up a week before Thanksgiving and I heard Christmas music on the radio before I had a chance to eat my Thanksgiving turkey. As a pastor, I am not looking to be called a Grinch, but I prefer to celebrate my Thanksgiving first, before turning my attention to Christmas. Could it be that our early Christmas is more driven by consumerism than a desire to remember Jesus? There are many things to like about Christmas, especially for followers of Jesus Christ. The music is upbeat, the secular stories teach positive virtues, houses are lit up and festive, people are generous with tips and giving to the needy, talking to strangers is more acceptable, cards and annual greetings are encouraging, children are celebrated, more people frequent church, the food is festive, and kindness is common. Our national economy is helped by Christmas spending and we all have been pleasantly surprised by an unexpected gift at Christmas. I would argue that all the goodness of the season has its foundation in the person of Jesus Christ. His act of love to leave heaven for a humble birth, extraordinary life, and redeeming death sets the precedent for all the love and joy of Christmas. Having noted the good, I now speak to shortcomings of Christmas in our culture. Christmas season is an occasion for the practice of one of the deadly sins – greed. Greed at Christmas comes in many shapes and sizes. We all are targets of the greed of businesses trying to close the year in the black by selling their product to you and I.

Text Box: Store owners of all faiths milk the Christmas season for all the money they can. To be fair, we all need to make a living and many retail businesses rely on the Christmas season. I just struggle to see the spirit of Christmas in the frenzy of a trip to the mall in December. As parents, my wife and I made an effort to raise children who celebrated Jesus more than new toys on December 25th. Jesus was the greatest gift of all time when he was wrapped in “swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.” I wonder how many Christian children cannot wait for the religious activities to be over so they can rip open their gifts. Christmas should be filled with joy for the children, without loosing sight of the reason for the celebration. Some of us adults are still looking for our grown-up toys on Christmas morning. A commercial on television makes the receiving of a luxury car on Christmas look like the greatest Christmas ever. May I remind you that greed was only associated with the evil characters of the Christmas account, Herod and the Inn keeper. Rich and powerful Herod did not want a challenge to his throne. The Innkeeper chose good paying customers over a young, poor couple about to give birth. Jesus’ parents were poor, the shepherds brought and received no gifts, the wise men came later and only gave gifts, which most scholars believed were used to finance Jesus’ family escape to Egypt. The greatest gift received at the first Christmas was meeting “Immanuel – God with us.” (Matt 1:23) This Christmas season, I encourage you to not make the season all about consumerism. Look for ways to bless others who may not be able to pay you back. Take time to build your faith and spend time with the Christ of Christmas.

Text Box: Fort Lee Gospel Church 1625 Palisade Ave. Fort Lee, NJ 07024 (201)947-1465 Pastor: Rev. Rick Spenst Web site: www.fortleegospel.org E-mail: fortleegospel@juno.com

Christmas Eve	2
New Year’s Eve	2
Christmas Tea	2
Faith & Reason	2
December Events	3
Fasting & Prayer	3
One Solitary Life	4

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