Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone. It sounds like people were out in droves seeking and finding bargains. As we well remember from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign, 'Its the economy stupid.'
Advertising and Christmas are almost synonymous these days. Santa sells cars. Reindeer encourage us to buy the right jewelry. Elves are busy making the perfect toy for Johnny. This time of year is really an Ad Event.
God, however, has a different sense of economy. It is not based upon what you can get, but what you can give. Its not about ownership but about stewardship. Its an invitation to prepare to welcome the one who comes in the face of the least, last, lost, and lonely. Advent is a call to watch for the God who comes to us in ways that baffle the world in which we live.
Fifteen years ago, a 'young' pastor and his wife took their first born (age 4) to see the glitz and glamour of Christmas in San Francisco. They took the BART to Union Square and toured the beautiful stores filled with 'things' far beyond their price range. They traveled by cable car to Fisherman's Wharf and witnessed shops filled with Christmas 'goodies.' At the end of the day, preparing to head home they popped into McDonald's for substance for the journey home.
While finding a table in a crowded restaurant, the first born took note of a man waiting in the long lines for a cup of coffee. He wore a stocking cap, an old heavy coat to ward off the chill evenings, pants that were well beyond their prime, and beat up old boots. He carried over his back and old duffel bag, and he had white locks poking out from under his cap and framing his chin. The pastor felt sorry for him, realizing that he was one of San Francisco's many homeless people.
The eldest son, however, saw something different. He saw a winter's visitor in disguise. He saw the one he had read of in myriad stories. He saw the one we know as Santa Claus. While father tried to ignore, for the eldest and only child, he could not contain his excitement. His excitement could not be contained, for he was the one to first notice that Santa was in our midst.
Perhaps his father could learn something from the oldest child. Perhaps the eldest child got it right, or maybe he was just a little mistaken. Perhaps it was not Santa in their midst, but he was the first to see Jesus whose birth we were making preparations to celebrate. 'When have we seen you Lord?'
