I am both a teacher and a student. And as with any teacher I learn more than I ever have an opportunity to teach others. Such is true on Sunday morning. There is always more to say than I have time to say. I rarely, probably never, finish the notes I have prepared. That leaves more to teach later and information builds upon information. I read an audience as well. There are times the Spirit restricts what i was going to say. Other times it is as simple as seeing in the faces of the hearers that they are really not all that interested in what I am saying and I just move on. Still I am always learning. I am always reading. I read everything I get my hands on.
Recently I was in search of reading material at home. I had a few quiet moments before Marilyn was to return and we had a couple of TV reality shows recorded for our viewing pleasure. So as to not start without her I looked for something to read. There in a stack on the ottoman was a Christmas magazine. It was all about 245 ways to decorate your home for the holidays. I was elated to see the word Christmas was actually in the title. So I began to peruse the pages and read a few articles. I told you I read anything and everything.
Several minutes into reading and looking at the pictures I observed a glaring omission. You may guess there were no sacred references to Christmas at all. You would be right. No nativity or Christ child. There were no angels either. There were no stars on any of the trees. There were no camels, no shepherds, no wise men or donkeys. It became a quest to find some obscure reference to Bethlehem or even the holiness of the night in the pages of the magazine. The best I could find were a couple of pillows with Silent Night, Holy Night embroidered on them. I smiled when I found them. It was as if some assistant some how hid these vague references to the birth of our Savior in the magazine without management catching the politically inappropriate message. But there was something even more surprising about the magazine. There was no mention of Santa Claus or his reindeer.
Has Santa also become taboo? Does his good nature and gift giving habits remind people too much of his Christian origin as a saint? I don't know for sure, but I searched the pages for his image or reference to his name in vain. Could Santa become an unintended casualty of political correctness? Poor Santa! The magazine was full of snowflakes, candy, evergreens and candles, but no jolly old elf. No reindeer with a bright red nose or elf making toys.
I found the decorations to be bland and uninspiring. It seems to be a metaphor for life without Christ. Remove Christ and life is uninspiring. Now by removing Santa it is downright boring!
"I found the decorations to be bland and uninspiring" Ken you have ventured into the artistic land of interior design that mere mortals like ourselves can not comprehend, at least that's what I have been told. Go to K-Mart and pick up a Peanut's nativity set complete with Snoopy dressed as a lamb. Then pull out A Charlie Brown Christmas and listen to Linus read from Luke chapter 2. That should put you in the Christmas spirit!
Posted by: Scott Pollard | October 12, 2011 at 08:55 AM
Scott,
Yes, I am now an artist. Erwin Mcmanus has invited me to help him design handbags in LA. I'm still considering an invitation to help with the White House Christmas tree! :)
Posted by: Ken Duggan | October 12, 2011 at 10:24 AM