Christmas has a propensity to bring out our ugly side. It has a tendency to draw out our sin like blood. The mass consumerism that bullies us and bowls us over offers us opportunities for greed like a flawless slice of cake. And we eat it like we have no choice. Like kids in a toy store, greed feeds off us like a parasite. What do we want? Just a little more.
Greed is directly linked to ingratitude, and ingratitude is the enemy of Christmas. This is the one special, spectacular time of year where we all just stop together and, in unadulterated worship, give thanks for the incarnation. Christmas is all about gratitude, all about our gratefulness to God for giving us the best gift of all - His Son.
And we shrug it off in the name of the holiday spirit. We distract ourselves with gifts and goodies until we've dulled ourselves to Christmas' right reality. We want, we want, we want.
Just a little more.
We - I - need to take a deep breath this December and ask for forgiveness. Most of us are guilty of greed this holiday, whether it's greed for ourselves or greed for others. Greed is sin, sick and vile. But there is mercy for our sin this Christmas. There is mercy in a manger, mercy that culminates in a cross, and mercy that comes alive in a tomb.
Lay aside the weight of greed this Christmas in favour of mercy.