When I was a kid, I can remember getting what seemed like a cornucopia of Christmas presents. Nothing fancy. Just a lot of presents. Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, Lite Brite and Rock’em Sock’em Robots are just a few that come to mind.
One of the most memorable gifts I ever received was “Tony the Pony,” a battery-operated horse I would’ ride around the house.
When our kids were small, the tradition continued. There were the presents “Santa” brought Christmas morning. Then there were the gifts my parents gave the children, and the gifts Kelly’s parents gave them. Aunts, uncles, etc. As I look back at it now, it bordered on the ridiculous.
My father used to tell me about his Christmas mornings as a child. Born into the Depression, he would get a single present for Christmas, which was usually a hand-me-down from one of his older brothers.
What a difference a generation makes.
I’m not sure me or my children got the better end of the bargain. As Christmas became evermore “bountiful,” the more it became about the presents, grand Christmas trees, decorations and elaborate meals, and less about the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.
Now, I don’t fancy myself a modern day ascetic who abstains from all forms of self-indulgence. Nor am I an Ebenezer Scrooge, who is just too cold hearted to even consider giving or receiving Christmas presents.
But when the secular aspects of Christmas crowd out its spiritual significance, that’s a problem.
God’s Word clearly teaches we are to “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.”
When one of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” “Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’”
As I look back now at our holiday celebrations over the of years, I regret we did not always put God first.
Maybe we went to church on Christmas Eve, but I’d be lying if I told you the main thrust of our celebrations was Christ rather than the food we ate, the company we kept or the presents we opened.
I think a person tends to gain a better appreciation for what’s truly important in life and what has little or no significance as they grow older.
I can remember a time when our church was praying for an elderly member who was critically ill. After he passed away, his son thanked the congregation for its prayers and support during a difficult time.
He then explained to us his father’s final thoughts expressed an understanding that everything in life that seemed so important to him at the time really held little significance at all.
His father’s last words before dying were, “All that worrying for nothing.”
I think of that comment now and again, especially when I find myself struggling in one way or another. It tends to put things into perspective for me.
In Ecclesiastes 1:14, King Solomon exclaims, “Behold, all is vanity.” Meaningless. Pointless.
“So I was great,” Solomon wrote, “and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour; and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ ”
Solomon had everything — power, riches, fame — but he came to understand the only thing that matters, the only thing that endures beyond the short span of years any of us has on this earth is our relationship with God.
What we do day-by-day, large or small, only holds significance as it impacts our relationship with Christ.
Is giving Christmas presents or putting up a Christmas tree wrong? Of course not, but if Christ is not part of our Christmas celebrations … no, it’s more than that.
If Christ is not central to our Christmas celebrations, then we are robbing ourselves of the only enduring aspect of the holiday, and denying the Savior the honor and glory He is due.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Christ’s birth was a profound act of love by an infinitely loving God, a gift of eternal value to a sinful and wholly undeserving humanity. Christmas exists to give us the opportunity to remember and honor that act of love.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter,” King Solomon says. “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
May God bless you all with a Christ-filled and very Merry Christmas!
Chris Roemer is a retired banker and educator who resides in Finksburg. He can be contacted at chrisroemer1960@gmail.com
