13^th December 2013

Here is a question, "Do we become less patient, even "cranky" about some aspects of life as we grow older."? There has always been a fine line. We can be cynical and judgmental of the present age on the one hand or with the wisdom of years we can see reality a little sharper and be bolder with the truth.

As we approach Christmas it is about this time of the year that I feel an increasing discomfort about the way we immerse ourselves in what is nothing less than an increasing extravagance, the pagan materialism of the Western World. Does the celebration of Christmas need to be like this?

Some years ago John White published "The Golden Cow", a critique of the Churches preoccupation with materialism---the idolatry of the 21st century. Before his death John Stott wrote "The Radical Disciple". It has been described as, "A beautiful straight forward clarion call to re-establish the truly converted life within a contemporary Christian sub-culture diluted by the self-centredness of the age." The film "Brother Moon, Sister Sun." tells the story of Francis of Assisi. As a soldier Francis turned his back on the Crusades and was expected to take over his wealthy father's business in Assisi. Rejected as ‘mad' by the majority and surrounded by the pomposity of Rome, Francis confronted the power structures of his time with a "Kingdom lifestyle" of simplicity that ministered to the poor. For Christians it is a reminder that this struggle is not new and that only a radical revelation and choice can see things differently.

Perhaps we begin by acknowledging that the danger of being normal is that, in being normal, we have been squeezed into the mould of the world. We have a shocking obsession with material wealth that has become a compulsive idolatry. Ponder a few of my recent observations that are disturbing.
• Visiting stores for "lowest prices" - endless shopping experiences. Have you noticed how trolleys are even provided for children? There is even the on-line experience now of Click Frenzy.
• Council Household hard Rubbish Collection. Witness the increasing collections as people continuing upgrade their major appliances.
• Living in a "growth corridor" - the growth of larger and larger homes with more facilities, even though fewer people will inhabit them.

A few weeks ago we organized a pre- Christmas gathering where, as a family we celebrated a common love and solidarity together. We had some fun, played cricket, acted out the story of nativity and splashed around at the beach. Parents donated a few dollars and with a Christmas gift catalogue from Tear Fund the grand children sorted through the desperate needs of children and families on the other side of the world. Although it was a world far removed from their experience they tried to understand what may be priorities.

This can hardly be the end of the story; it has to be the beginning of a much more serious, far-reaching response. This sort of distribution of wealth is more symbolic than it is a realistic change of life-style, but if the way we celebrate expresses something of the way we understand life and the values of the Kingdom of God, perhaps we could to start by adopting and promoting new traditions that reach the poor and celebrate the Christ who became poor for our sake.

Now am I becoming too serious, "cranky," out of touch, or a little bolder with the truth? I will let you decide on that!

E. A.(Ted) Curnow, December 2013