The best things in life aren't free ...

Aiden Enns is the publisher and co-editor of Geez magazine. He is also the founder of Buy Nothing Christmas, a national initiative started by Canadian Mennonites who believe Christmas shopping and Christianity are incompatible. We brought Aiden on the December 16 GodTalk Radio Show to spread a little Christmas cheer!

Before I go any further, a personal confession: I like buying Christmas presents. Christmas is a twelve-day celebration in my home (running from the Feast of Christmas on December 25 to the Feast of Epiphany on January 6). I give my wife one present for each of the twelve days of Christmas. I enjoy selecting the gifts, I can think of no one who deserves them more, and my wife, who expects little and demands even less, appreciates the extra attention and the small surprises each of the twelve days brings.

The above sounds like wanton excess to Aiden Enns, who suggested on air that I give my wife a back rub or a foot massage instead of jewelry, clothes, or electronics. Indeed, my wife would enjoy his suggestions, but I'm not prepared to join Aiden in his wholesale denunciation of materialism. We live in a material world, which was declared good by its Creator. Our material creations are manifestations of the imago Dei, proof that a Creator's spirit resides within us.

Where Aiden and I are more likely to agree is our disdain for consumerism. In North America, it is now commonplace to purchase things simply because they are available and affordable, instead of useful in any conceivable way. Consequently, North Americans either hoard their goods (leading to the rapid expansion of the self-storage industry) or casually throw them away.

Consumers need to start thinking like creators. We should buy only what allows us to nurture and express our creativity. We should approach buying gifts for others in the same way. I have a friend who has an ingenious formula for giving gifts: he presents musical instruments to people who cannot play them. Remarkably, most of the recipients acquire some mastery of the instrument. More importantly, a creative spark is ignited within them. I've seen some of those sparks fan into flames over the years.

The best things in life aren't free. The point isn't to buy nothing for Christmas. The point is to encourage and empower others to become creators instead of consumers. This Christmas, give gifts that inspire creativity in others. Your gifts will last a lifetime and leave an everlasting legacy.

Good news of great joy ... and sadness

Yesterday, two events occurred: I strung up the Christmas lights on my front porch, and I received the sad news that my friend’s dad had passed away. I am so sorry for my friend’s loss. Once again the spectre of death haunts the children of men. My friend’s life will never be the same. A piece of her life is gone forever.

When I was a kid, life seemed like an eternity. I could not practically conceive of an end to life. Now, as family and friends pass away, I’m continually reminded that death will touch us all. It is inescapable.

It is this bleak, cold darkness that prepares my heart for Christmas.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. – Gospel of John 1.5

On the first Christmas Eve, over two millennia ago, darkness ruled the world, but the Light of the World came to earth and began to undo the darkness. Angels heralded his coming as good news of great joy. Shepherds gawked. Wise men worshipped. Tyrants trembled. And though the darkness assaulted the Light with the full force of its fury, it could not overcome it. Crucifixion and death gave way to resurrection and ascension.

Jesus wept. – Gospel of John 11.35

When Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, passed away, Jesus could not contain his grief. He wept openly. Death stings and a hundred thousand years of human evolution has not insulated us from its agony. Before his tears, Jesus had declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live” (John 11.25). We, like Jesus, live in the tension between the present pain of death and the ever-closing hope of resurrection and eternal life. For now, we cannot escape this tension. But someday soon, death will be no more. Mourning and crying and pain will finally end.

On these long, dark winter nights, the Christmas lights on my front porch will burn all night, every night. They are my declaration of faith – my avowal that death and darkness will not last forever and that someday life and light will reign supreme.

May your light burn brightly this Advent and Christmas season. In your light, others find courage and cheer. In your light, others are reminded that the Light has come.

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. – Gospel of Matthew 5.16

If you'd like a unique experience of light and darkness this Christmas season, please join me for a Christmas Eve candlelight service on December 24th at 6:30 p.m. Central Baptist Church: 1061 Ellice Avenue.

Also, check out Mindy Smith's new album My Holiday on iTunes. It's the best Christmas album of 2007 and maybe the best one of the past decade. Mindy's voice perfectly captures the mixture of joy and sadness that we experience in our lives, even at Christmas time. My favorite tracks are My Holiday, I Know the Reason, and Follow the Shepherd Home. Mindy includes some wonderful cover versions of traditional Christmas songs as well.