Twas the day after Black Friday and all through the web are videos of people who have clearly missed the point. Fist fights breaking out over stuff, stuff that will be broken in days or weeks. Some of these people will wind up in prison for their behavior, more of them probably should and for what? To show love for their families, and friends??? Hardly. “Where’s daddy?” I have to go bail him out of jail. “What was he doing?” Christmas shopping. “My daddy sure does love me…” I think not. Somewhere, we’ve missed the point. When people are willing to lie, cheat, fight, steal and occasionally even kill to get stuff to give on the day when we celebrate the One who came to free us from stuff like,lying, cheating, fighting, stealing and killing, we have lost the story. This stuff looks nothing like what Jesus came to give us and everything like the work of the one who came to steal, kill and destroy.
It’s not surprising. Christmas has been coopted a long time ago. It’s stopped being about Jesus and started being about stuff. Stuff is how we show love now. Haven’t you heard? The story has been lost. It is a season of giving… there’s nothing wrong with gifts… but in the gifts we need to remember the Gift and the fact that so much of society has lost the narrative is a call to action, both for the Church as a whole and especially for those of us in the church who have been blessed with the communicative, creative gifts, the storytelling gifts. It’s November 28. We have 27 days ’til Christmas. Not 27 shopping days, but 27 creating days. Just under four weeks to get the story out.
I call upon all creatives to do at least one thing creative thing over the next 27 days, to bring the story back to the forefront. Write a story, make a piece of public art, make a creative gift for a hurting person. Serve someone, bless someone, create a way that shows the world or at least one person in that world what Christmas really means.
This is one of those times when it is probably best to let the world know what you’re doing. I’m not talking about boasting about yourself. You don’t have to identify yourself, but spread the word and be an inspiration. Here’s a Thanksgiving example. Magician Murray Sawchuck helps a homeless man on Thanksgiving.
That’s how he used his gift. Please notice he put it out there to inspire others. Our savior deserves much better than Black Friday mayhem. How can we use our gifts to draw people back to the true meaning of Christmas?
Time to get creative.
AMOKArts 