Dec 06, 2024 |
WLSU, Useless Christmas
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulWLSU, Useless Christmas
Usually this
time of year, as we prepare for Christmas I try to write something about how
you should go easy on yourself, about how the holidays are stressful enough
without you having to add to that with a lot of judgment and self-criticism. I
always make a point of saying how much I hate New Year’s resolutions because,
one, you’re going to fail at them anyway, and two, becoming a better person should
not actually be your main goal. And of course all of this rests in the reality
that God loves you no matter what, and it would do your heart some good to rest
in that a little bit.
But not this year.
No, this year the other shoe drops. You’re not working hard enough. You could be doing more. It’s the end of the year and what do you have to show for it? Did you really give it your all? If Jesus showed up at your door today, how disappointed do you think he’d be on a scale of 1 to 10? Maybe you should be going all out to make Christmas perfect and set yourself up for a new you in the new year. You understand that God would love you more if you were just a better person, right?
Ok, fine, I don’t actually believe any of those things. But I wonder what it felt like to hear that. Did you buy any of it?
But not this year.
No, this year the other shoe drops. You’re not working hard enough. You could be doing more. It’s the end of the year and what do you have to show for it? Did you really give it your all? If Jesus showed up at your door today, how disappointed do you think he’d be on a scale of 1 to 10? Maybe you should be going all out to make Christmas perfect and set yourself up for a new you in the new year. You understand that God would love you more if you were just a better person, right?
Ok, fine, I don’t actually believe any of those things. But I wonder what it felt like to hear that. Did you buy any of it?