Chri$tma$

Retail sales this Christmas will approach $500 billion in total.  You would have to live in a cave without a cell phone, cable tv, or the internet in order to avoid the onslaught of advertising related to gift-giving and Christmas. For instance, I know that as a guy I have already blown it this Christmas - I didn't go to Jared's.

I often hear from other Christians the lament over the commercialization of Christmas.  It seems Christmas is more about the cash than it is Christ. We often even refer to this as the War on Christmas.  My problem is we act as if this is something new.  We have bought the idea that Christmas was somehow never about the money and yet I would suggest to you that it has always been about the money - from the first day.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  Luke 2:1

Jesus was born into a place of conflict, occupation, and oppression.  Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem so that the occupying Roman empire would know how much to tax their subjects.  The birth of Christ in Bethlehem happened amidst a money-grab by those in power.  And you can bet the vendors in the market place were taking advantage of the influx of outsiders to make their money.

The Good News is that Jesus came to us in this unlikely and unexpected way to show us the depth of God’s love for us to show us that God is so in love with us that God would go to any length for us, even to being humbly born in a stable (because there was no room in the inn).

And the really GOOD NEWS is that Jesus still shows up in the unexpected places in our world and in our lives. Jesus still shows up in our time whenever there is struggle, strife, injustice - wherever violence threatens and seeks to destroy the innocent and the good.  Jesus even shows up in the midst of the over-commercialization of Christmas - IF you will let Him.

Jesus is born to bring hope in the midst of our despair; born to bring light in the midst of darkness.

Jesus is born to give us a choice of giving over greed.

In Jesus, God entered into our reality and our lives. God knows what it is like to be human. God knows intimately what we go through. God knows what it is like to have hopes and dreams, fears and doubts, to belong and to be rejected, to succeed and fail.

I think sometimes the most unexpected place for us to think of God is in our own lives - amidst our frustrations. We somehow think that God is too distant, too busy, to break through all the gift-giving, advertisements, and business of Christmas and reach us.

But that is the point of Christmas.  It reminds us that God chooses to be with us, wherever we are.  God is with us, today, tomorrow. Always. 

Jesus is God’s love made visible. His humble birth amidst the business of the Roman Empire puts that love on full display. It is a beautiful and unexpected gift in a humble and unexpected place.

Sometimes the greatest gifts you will ever receive are the ones you least expect.  I pray that your Christmas will be filled with unexpected gifts - presents, relationships, or moments of grace.  And may they come to you in unexpected places - the mall, home, or in church.

May they remind you of the original unexpected gift of Christmas—Jesus—and of God’s great love for you.

Grandpa's Big Red Truck

Dedicated to Robert Eugene Frieden (my Grandpa): April 19, 1920 - November 13, 2013

 

Whenever I see an fuel oil delivery truck I think of my grandpa. I spent many a summer day riding in his big red truck as he made his deliveries. These are some of the words I shared at his funeral today:

 

There are moments in one’s life that no one wants to experience, but in living them you simply acknowledge that you are honored or privileged to be a part of the moment … this day and my experience with my grandfather’s life were just that … an honor and privilege.

 

We shared something … a name … more precisely initials … REF.  F - Frieden; E- Eugene; and my R was Rodney. That’s REF like my Grandpa (Robert) like my Dad (Ronald) and like my son (Riley).

I haven’t always embraced that commonality. I didn’t want to be a Rodney … I wanted to be Rod and I certainly never wanted to be a Eugene.  The important thing in all of this is that growing up I wanted to be like my Grandpa (no my Dad).

I wanted to drive a big red truck like my Grandpa. 

I wanted to be as strong as my Grandpa.

 

I wanted everyone to like me like they liked my Grandpa. It seemed everyone knew him and that everyone was his friend.

 

I hoped to one day know as much about everything the way my Grandpa seemingly did.

I even wanted my hair to be wavy just like Grandpa's.

My Grandpa was one of the coolest people I knew and I wanted to be just like him when I grew up.

After all what’s not to like about a man that makes ice cream and fudge, hides candy by his bedside, and drives a big red truck!

As I grew older, dreams of driving a truck changed. I even gave up on having wavy hair - the length of my hair became an ongoing debate for me and my Grandpa (it was never short enough for him). I also discovered my own interests and those weren’t always the same as Grandpa’s.  Heck, we didn’t even root for the same baseball team - He the Cubs and me the Reds!  But even as my dreams grew and changed, one thing remained the same - I still wanted to grow up to be just like my Grandpa – honest, caring, selfless, strong of will, gentle of spirit, a man of quiet yet strong faith - a man of integrity.

Today (like most fathers), I struggle with the task of raising a son who thinks his Grandpa is way cooler than his own Dad. But the lessons I learned growing up have become the key to living with that frustration.  What I have learned is that if I can teach my son to be proud of his name Riley Eugene Frieden and the stories and heritage that have come before it … If I can remember to teach him about the man who started this tradition --- not what he did, but who he was and what he stood for ... If I can do that, I will succeed in teaching my son the most important lessons in life:

When you grow up, Grow up to be just like your great grandpa and your grandpa - that's what I have tried to do. Learn to say your name with pride and hold your head high.

 

You are a Frieden … an R E Frieden and that means you share a something with the man I have called Grandpa all my life. 

 

Learn to be like him and you will become a man of Honesty, a man of Caring thoughts, a man of selfless action, a man who was strong of will and gentle of spirit, a man of integrity, and a man of quiet yet strong faith.

 

Some will ask what's so important about a a name?

The answer is not much unless that name was R E Frieden and then it can mean everything.

Thanks for that lesson Grandpa. You never taught that to me … you just lived it every day.