Canadians spend a lot of money at Christmas time. I have conducted counselling where I’ve seen
it take 3 or more months for a family to recover from Christmas debt. Last year in Canada it was estimated that a
family would spend on the average of $650 per person at Christmas, with an
additional $300 per person on extras, such as decorations and candy. Canadians spend a lot of money at Christmas.
But in the philosophy of C.S. Lewis, perhaps that is not the
real problem. In Lewis’ sermon “The
Weight of Glory”, he wrote:
“If we consider the
unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised
in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong,
but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex
and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants
to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the
offer of a holiday at the sea. We
are far too easily pleased.”
Lewis might say if he were thinking down this road of
Christmas extravaganzas, our problem is not that we spend too much, but perhaps
too little. Perhaps Lewis would say
that Christians spend too little at Christmas.
Take this man:
““The
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he
hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that
field.” (Matthew
13:44, NIV)
A parable is a short story that communicates a spiritual
truth to those who are enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The clearest explanation of this parable of
our Lord is that “the kingdom is worth sacrificing whatever is necessary in
order to be a part of it.”[1]
Parables are illustrations that often portray one point. In this case Jesus is not implying that we earn “salvation; instead,
the parable emphasizes the supreme value of the hidden treasure (the kingdom of
heaven).”[2]
Again,
perhaps the problem is not that we spend too much. We are
half-hearted creatures fooling around with toys, presents, clothes, parties,
decorations, food, etc. We are far too
easily pleased. Perhaps the stunning reality that God became man ought to capture
our soul to such a degree that we would be willing to give all that we have to
gain that union with Christ. Or in the
words of Paul:
“But
whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is
more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them
garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7–8, NIV)
Father, how easy it is
for us to cheapen who you are in Christ.
He who was so glorious emptied Himself into humanity and all our
troubled existence, so that we who are so impoverished and needy might know
Christ who is more glorious than anything on earth can express. “You make known to me the path of
life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at
your right hand” (Psalm 16:11, NIV). May I not be satisfied with less.
[1] Zondervan.
NIV Zondervan Study Bible, Hardcover: Built on the Truth of Scripture and
Centered on the Gospel Message (Kindle Location 224667). Zondervan. Kindle
Edition.
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