All I want for Christmas

A 12 year-old girl in the Midlands has apparently saved her pocket money for a year in order to buy over 200 presents for children who would otherwise receive none. She was reported as saying that it wasn’t fair that some should go without.

Indeed; “out of the mouths of babes” comes simple but profound truth. Sadly, though, she will probably discover as she grows older that there are many things in the world which are not fair. Some we cannot avoid: the accident and illness that affects old and young, good and bad, alike. But others are of our own making.

So here’s my letter to Santa, repeated in a prayer to God, for a sack full of fair deals, with suitable Bible texts to back them, and in no particular order. Unfortunately, current laws prevent me from nailing my theses to the door of number 10 Downing Street or tying them to the railings of Westminster.

All I want for Christmas is:

·       For politicians to stop saying “Yes but” whenever they are presented with unpleasant facts such as one million people accessing food banks. People need bread today, not the promise of jam tomorrow that assumes current policies will actually bring universal change. Matthew 5:37

·       For internet trolls and pub philosophers to start respecting people with whom they disagree instead of slagging them off or even threatening them. Such behaviour causes distress and contributes nothing to sensible debate about often complex issues. Proverbs 10:18; Matthew 5:21-22

·       For customer service and public service personnel to recapture afresh the true meaning of service, and to view their role as actually being to help people in need rather than assume they are stupid, time wasters, or on the make. Mark 10:45

·       For the media, and the tabloids in particular, to refrain from sowing discord and hatred through exaggerated or nuanced reporting based on what they think their audience wants to hear and which that audience is simply not equipped to see through. Matthew 5:37; James 3:5-6

·       For a widespread recognition that acquiring more stuff is neither necessary nor conducive to greater happiness. Matthew 6:25,31-34

·       For a grassroots movement to denounce and resist the demonic power of “market forces” which is merely a synonym for greed, so that more people can actually afford to rent or buy homes where they wish instead of being condemned to pay rip-off private rents so that they are unable to raise a deposit for their own small pad. Isaiah 5:8; Amos 8:4-7

·       For a greater sense of international responsibility so that people made homeless and hungry for whatever reason in other countries are supported by the surplus readily available in the west. Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 4:28

·       For proper long-term public investment in public transport and renewable energy to reduce toxic emissions and road congestion, especially in cross-country road and rail routes, and an end to Nimbyism which mostly focuses on personal preferences, a dislike of change, and not on the common good. Numbers 20:14-21

·       For the Christian churches to offer short, simple seeker-friendly worship and teaching opportunities, especially in town and city centres, on weekdays at times when people are naturally out and about. 1 Corinthians 14:9-12

·       For the care of the elderly to become a laudable vocation once again, instead of a profit-making, low-resourced enterprise it is increasingly becoming. Leviticus 19:32; Matthew 15:3-9

·       For all kinds of work to be seen (by everyone, but by Christians especially) as building blocks for the Kingdom of God, and not simply a means to a personal end. Colossians 3:23

·       For international peace and co-operation among “allies” rather than competition between nations. Micah 4:2-5

·       For a major reduction in waste, a determined resistance to a throwaway culture, and a fresh embracing of the value of contentment. Philippians 4:11-13

·       For a universal recovery of joy in the small and simple things of life, for the beauty of nature and the wonders of science and its discoveries, not just at Christmas but all year round. Psalm 104:10-26

·       For us all to learn afresh how to “think on these things”: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy….And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

Pope Francis has declared that 2016 should be a year of mercy, a jubilee year which began on 8 December 2015. “Mercy is not an emotion, but a practical response to need.”¹ May we indeed have a peaceful Christmas and a merciful new year.

Think and talk

What else might you add to this list?

Reference

1.  R.T. France, The Gospel according to Matthew, IVP 1985, p. 172 (commenting on Matthew 9:27; see also Matthew 5:7)

© Derek Williams 2015. Material in these blogs may be reproduced for personal or small group use with due acknowledgement.

Stop the shop early for Christmas!

Thinking about wasted food, dumped goods 
and spiritual priorities may enhance our Christmas

This is the time of year when most people’s thoughts turn to Christmas. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost upon us when it is estimated that UK consumers will spend some £2bn over the weekend on bargains and Christmas presents.

But there is also the news that one-third of consumers will borrow money for Christmas presents (the majority using credit cards), and one-fifth needing to borrow money for Christmas food. Somehow, that doesn’t feel right. Especially when one takes into account the fact that suicides and family splits tend to peak in December-January, as the dark cold days of winter exacerbate the dark cold facts of debt.

Along with that are the startling revelations on Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recent TV programmes on waste. One third of all the UK’s edible food is dumped much of it by supermarkets and largely for cosmetic reasons (wonky carrots and the like).The rest is dumped by consumers whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs. Remember that when you buy the sprouts for Christmas that no-one eats (and there’s a bumper crop this year).

Hugh found a charity making 80,000 meals a day from just two per cent of the edible food dumped in the UK. And that at a time when it is said that 13m people live in low-income households¹ (many of whom who are struggling to find enough to eat) and school meals are facing financial cutbacks.

He also highlighted the seven tonnes of garments dumped every ten minutes across the UK, with the associated energy, labour and transport costs wasted. Many clothes are only worn once or a few times before being discarded for something new that hasn’t featured in a selfie on Facebook. Charity shops and re-processors could give it all a new life.

Of course, at this time of year there is also a traditional chorus of complaint about the commercialisation of Christmas, but this isn’t part of it. We can’t blame the shops for that. They only stay in business if they sell us stuff, and it’s their business to sell as much as they can. But we can do four things: we can think about why we overspend (and not just at Christmas); we can examine some biblical principles about using our resources wisely; we can make a pre-Christmas resolution to be more careful and circumspect; and we can join Hugh’s war on waste (see below).

Why we overspend

Consumer spending is a political necessity. The west is locked into a market philosophy which considers that continuous economic growth is necessary for public welfare. To grow the economy, people need to spend money. So while government isn’t telling us what to buy, it sends regular subliminal messages that Spending is Good, and regularly talks about policies that put money into people’s pockets.

Added to that is the subtle social pressure of keeping up with trends. No longer do we wear clothes until they fall apart. No longer do we retain electric and other goods until they wear out, but we replace them with the newer and (allegedly) the better models just because – why? Because we want to keep up with “everyone”? Because we’ve lost the simple art of appreciating what we have? Because we’ve been conned by advertising that tells us we must have the new model? Why must we?

We binge-spend at Christmas because we always have, perhaps. It’s the thing to do, according to false social assumptions. Or because we think people expect us to (do they really?). Or perhaps we don’t want to be thought mean or reveal just how hard it is for us to make ends meet. Or because we think that children will be happier with the most expensive and “latest” craze toy than with something more basic. (Ever seen a young child play with the paper rather than the gift? Children of all ages need love, not luxury, and to learn that they can’t necessarily have what others also have.)

Perhaps it is time that more of us challenged false assumptions and stood up to the pressures even if we have to face down work colleagues or relatives who thoughtlessly expect more of us than we can afford. Perhaps we simply need to be upfront about what we can spend; truth is as important as prudence. Some others may be grateful that we have the courage to do what they would like to do but feel they can’t. We might even set a trend: shop wisely for Christmas. We certainly do not need to miss out on fun by being more frugal.

Back to basics

Social psychology studies have shown that the more we have, the less satisfaction we gain from each item. This is not a modern insight; it was recognised in Old Testament times: “Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless”.² Of course it is; as Jesus warned, there is much more to life than getting and spending. “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of their possessions.”³ But somehow, over the past few decades especially, we have been conned into believing that more is always better.

Certainly what we have is intended to be shared rather than stored, handled wisely rather than being hoarded, used rather than admired.⁴  We can’t take it with us into the next life (although people in some cultures obviously hoped they could, to judge by the goods found in ancient tombs).

Just spend less

There are some simple things that we can do to buck the trend, reduce the risk to ourselves, and perhaps even make a small contribution to reducing waste and pollution.

·         Set a budget for Christmas – so much per person for gifts, so that you do not have to use a credit card or. If you have to use credit, budget in advance for what repayments (plus interest) you will need to make in the months after Christmas which will add to your monthly outgoings, so that what you spend now is affordable and the debt doesn’t drag on.

·         Use charity Christmas cards and local delivery arrangements organised by charities in many towns to reduce costs.

·         Avoid the pre-Christmas bargains unless you really do need a new gadget / dress / whatever because the old one is broken beyond repair (not just because it is so last year’s model). “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

·         Plan your Christmas food needs carefully; rather than just piling lots into your trolley. Work out what each person is likely to eat and stick to that.

·         Likewise budget for alcohol so that you don’t have so much that everyone drinks more than they need to “because it’s there”.

·         Research creative and nourishing ways to use left-overs (Sainsbury’s is one of the supermarkets with specific ideas for this on their website).

·         Join the war on waste: http://www.wastenotuk which includes a petition to supermarkets and tips on how to avoid waste and how to recycle food and goods.

Think and talk

1.  Consider the suggestions above and ask yourself honestly what is realistic for you?

2.  Talk to family, friends and work colleagues about making a pact to reduce needless spending. The more people who do so, the happier everyone will be: it reduces stress and increases gratitude with what we do have on a community level rather than just a personal level.

3.  Do some Bible study and take the ancient wisdom seriously:

·         How to be content what you have: Psalm 62:10; Proverbs 22:1; 30:8; Jeremiah 9:23; Philippians 4:11-13

·         The negative effects of striving for, or getting, more: Proverbs 23:4-5; Ecclesiastes 5:10-12; Matthew 19:21-23; 1 Timothy 6:9

·         Put God before gain: 2 Chronicles 1:11-12; Proverbs 3:9; 15:16; Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:13-21

References

1.  “Monitoring poverty and social exclusion” report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 23 November 2015 - https://www.jrf.org.uk/mpse-2015

2.  Ecclesiastes 5:10

3.  Luke 12:15

4.  See for example 1 John 3:17-18 and Matthew 6:19-21.

 

© Derek Williams 2015. Material in these posts may be reproduced for private of small group use.

Mandela's Christmas wisdom on human relations

"Coexistence": poster for a peace exhibition I saw 
in Belfast some years ago

Whatever else he was and whatever else he did, the late Nelson Mandela proved to be a master of reconciliation. As the commemorations of his life now fade from the news agenda, it’s still appropriate to reflect on some of his words as we enter the Christmas season of peace and goodwill. Mandela offered peace and goodwill towards people who had opposed and imprisoned him.

In his autobiography Long walk to freedom¹ he writes of things he learned as a child. “I learned that to humiliate another person is to make him suffer an unnecessarily cruel fate,” he wrote. “Even as a boy I defeated my opponents without dishonouring them” (p10). Another lesson was gleaned from tribal meetings, where everyone had a say. “I have always endeavoured to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my own opinion” (p21).

Those principles – honour your enemy and listen to those you disagree with – were the foundation of his much later work as the first black President of South Africa. So, with good cause, perhaps, to want to wreak revenge on others, he emerged from prison knowing that his freedom did not give him the liberty to take others’ freedom away from them, and that “the man who takes away another’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness” (p617).

“In prison, my hatred towards whites decreased, while my hatred for the system grew. I wanted South Africa to see that I loved my enemies even while I hated the system that turned us against each other” (p559). And writing of the then President De Klerk, who he had previously criticised heavily, “I never sought to undermine Mr De Klerk…To make peace with an enemy, one must work with that enemy, and that enemy becomes your partner” (p604).

Nelson Mandela has given us a lot to think about as we reflect on our relationships with and attitudes towards others. But he was doing no more than applying in practice what Jesus had taught almost 2000 years before.

In the sermon on the mount Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).

That teaching is echoed by the apostles. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse….Do not repay anyone evil for evil….As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay'….Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’’ (Romans 12:14-21).

But there’s an even greater reason to take the example of Mandela and the exhortations of Jesus and Paul seriously. It is that reconciliation is what God himself is all about, which is also at the heart of the Christmas message. Paul writes, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” And, he adds, he “gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

The Christmas image of the baby in the manger can sometimes obscure the fact that the Christ child came into the world with a mission to bridge the moral gap between erring humans and a perfect God. Perhaps Mandela’s death just before Christmas could be seen as God’s gentle reminder to a conflict-ridden world that the event we celebrate contains a call to adopt a peace-making lifestyle all year round.

 

Think and talk

1.  Look up the full Bible passages from which the passages above are quoted. Make a list of all the implications they have for the daily life and relationships of ordinary people.
2.  Think of situations where you either need to seek reconciliation with others or where you can seek to act as a peacemaker (Matthew 5:9). Make these situations a matter for prayer, and then look for opportunities to exercise a ministry of reconciliation.

Reference

1.  Nelson Mandela, Long walk to Freedom, Little, Brown and Company, 1994