It's 6:30 in the morning on "Black Friday". I'm awake (sort of) and the News tells me the stores are already teeming with shoppers, and if there is a recession happening, you couldn't tell by the live feed from the helicopter circling the mall.
There's all sorts of ways to try and process this, and I think on the drive home from Thanksgiving dinner last night I ran through them all, almost like the stages of grief.
H. Richard Niebuhr said that when considering culture, there were basic ways to understand the relationship between followers of Christ and "the World".
Under the "Christ against Culture" category would be "Buy Nothing Day"
http://www.buynothingday.org/. This is an initiative to reject a culture of consumerism. And I like it. I wish I could buy a t-shirt that says that. Oh wait...that's consumption. In truthfulness, I do find something compelling in the idea, and even the folks who created it say "Don't take this too far." but I know my tendency for legalism and I feel like I would be falling into an old pattern just with some new ideas.
There's "Christ of Culture" but I think somewhere between the light-up baby Jesus yard tackies and the Bobble-head Savior we've commodified the holy right out of it. So much for thinking a little Light of the World would leaven the whole thing.
"Christ and Culture in Paradox" is a view I'm tempted to take, but I feel the Charlie Brown-ness of it all. It's something of a resignation to age-old wishy-washy-ness. Like saying "I love hearing 'Silent Night' in the stores, but I hate it that I missed the $3.88 doorbuster on toasters. Oh well, at least the
Salvation Army takes debit cards now!"
"Christ above Culture" sounds really, really good. From this firm ground I can say "Shop all you want, do what you want, but you're missing the main thing." This makes for GREAT Advent sermons. You can even come up with slick marketing packages or
buy an entire strategy to re-direct folks to the "reason for the season."
But I think I'll be sticking with "Christ transforming Culture." I need to desperately believe that we've still got a shot. I need to know that behind our rabid, wide-eyed, Americonsumerism that there is something pushing through the discarded toys and gadgets to a deeper reality.
Yes, we will give less this year, at least to each other, but super-imposing that worldview on those we love who still communicate in tangible gifts isn't the Jesus-way either. (I can't imagine the disciple Matthew being thrilled with $50 given to UNICEF in his name--"Thanks JC, you shouldn't have!")
Then there's that whole Mary anointing Jesus feet with the bottle of $36,000 perfume. Judas wanted it for the poor (though John said his motives were suspect.) Jesus said it was a beautiful thing, an extravagant gift. Come to think of it, he got the loot in the first Christmas too.
Maybe He's trying to tell me something. Maybe it's not about money, but it is about cost. If I don't flinch a little when I'm at the register or writing the contribution check. If I don't have to give up a Latte or a Chick-fil-A biscuit--maybe I'm not really giving. Maybe I'm just throwing money or the first thing I could grab at someone and saying "Return it if you don't like it."
Generosity requires thought, and work and tracking things down. It requires some measure of sacrifice, because after all, there is a sacred thread between Christmas and Easter. Yes, I think I like that idea best.
'Tis the Season!
Now off to the mall...
