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So what is it about Christmas that pushes our buttons?

Is it the parties, the presents, kissing under the mistletoe? If Christmas wasn’t good, we wouldn’t have such a melt down over it in most of the western world. Spend, spend, spend, exchange, exchange, exchange, eat, eat, eat, blob and sing old carols! We may not even really celebrate the true meaning of Christmas so much as just letting the good times roll at the beginning of another spectacular kiwi summer.

But in the majority of the world, the 25th December is just like any other day. Firstly they may not have ever heard of Jesus. Secondly they may not follow our calendar year. Thirdly they may not be able to read a calendar and even if they could, they don’t have one. But more importantly, they still need to fetch water, care for the crops and move the livestock to better pasture. When we lived in Zululand, where the majority were Christians and had calendars, I was amazed to find that unless Christmas fell on a Sunday, Zulus didn’t really celebrate Christmas that much. For them, to celebrate like we do seemed an odd thing to do. But when Easter came, chocolate eggs were hopelessly inadequate. They went to church for 3 days and 3 nights!

So as you prepare to shove numerous mince pies down your throat lubricated by something a little intoxicating, spare a thought for how the other two-thirds live. If you want to do something about it, ¨ volunteer in your Parish to be the Christian World Service person and give their Christmas Appeal a big rev. This is the biggest fund raiser of their year and they rely on us to do our bit. There is nothing as intoxicating as a young person being enthusiastic about something. Your minister has already received their pack for 2002. ¨ Another great opportunity is to invite the congregation to donate new toys (not broken, old ones) and then take them to your local city mission for distribution to the kids who won’t get much. Maybe the experience will ignite a flame in your heart and you will want to go and see how the other two-thirds live.

Ho ho ho Merry Christmas!
Andrew