It’s Christmas Day and all across Barbados church pews are filled as we participate in the tradition of church-going on Christmas morning.
It provides an opportunity for us to pay our respects as a Christian society to Jesus Christ, who gave His life for ours, ensuring that we would always have sanctuary, if we want it, of course. Church-going, however, is just one of our many Christmas traditions and despite the Christ in Christmas, it is unfortunate that we devote just a couple of hours to Jesus as shopping and all the other festivities prove more exciting and demanding of our time.
As usual in His grace, the Lord still makes this time special. Outside of the shopping, cleaning and eating, I see glimpses of what could be if we live by that simple creed, “love thy neighbour as one loves oneself”.
It is there in the emphasis we place on family and the act of giving, the importance of making a child smile and going that extra mile for a loved one. As much as Christmas has become more commercialized and “Santa-tified”, we still share a lot of genuine good wishes for our fellow man.
We are nicer, a bit more giving in our attitudes and more willing to think of others. I was awed the other day listening to a lady talk about why every year she turned her house into a spectacle of lights. Despite the trouble and the expense, for her the greatest joy was when people passed by and took pleasure in what was created. We don’t get that throughout the year, unfortunately.
What is especially telling is the outpouring of charity that usually marks this time of year. We not only think of our family and others close to us; some of us go out of our way to help that fellow man that we don’t know and perhaps will never meet face to face.
The vagrants, the homeless, the sick, the needy in our societies all get touched at this time of year.
It is perhaps one of the best elements of the season that we would seek to imitate the selfless love that Christ has for us through our giving to others. Anyone who gives or does charity work regularly will tell you that during this time, unlike any other time, there is something special, something unique about giving.
Just the other day I was reading about secret Santas, who went about paying off people’s debts and handing out money to those in need. At no other time of year do we have that kind of outpouring of brotherly care. This year, I made a conscious effort to approach Christmas a little differently. My family and I have forgone the usual expensive trappings associated with the season, but whatever we have not spent on those things will go into some very special envelopes.
As the time moves faster and one Christmas seems to rush into another, my Christmas wish is not for Christmas to be every day, nor for it to come sooner, but rather that we keep the essence of what the season is about, or rather should be about, past today.
If next year proves slightly even more challenging than 2011, then we will need all the good cheer that we can muster. So as we step out of the church pews and sit down to break bread with our families, or walk through Queen’s Park, whatever it is we will do today, I wish that our hearts will be filled to the brim with love for each other that transcends a season but extends throughout the year. I wish for more genuine smiles, heartfelt hugs and greetings and, importantly, expressions of sharing. I wish that the tins of the Salvation Army will overflow and our brother’s cupboards will not go empty if we have but a bottle of oil to share.
Most of all, I wish for thankful hearts, that we continue to acknowledge the grace of the Lord who blesses us, His provision that keeps us, His mercy that goes before us and His sacrifice that has upheld us. Merry Christmas, Barbados!
