In an effort to resist the consumer orgy that is Christmas, Sandy and I agreed we would not buy each other gifts this year, but we’d make a donation to charity. But not buying gifts for each other didn’t means not giving gifts to each other. With the assistance of modern technology I made a short film that opened and closed with images of Sandy and our family transitioning in and out...
Peace on Earth
The Christmas story confounds my expectations of God. The angels in Luke’s Gospel bring news of peace, which will have been heard by his audience against the backdrop of a similar claim by the Roman empire. The Empire’s peace was in reality a subjugation, in which wealth was stripped from the poor and the merest hint of rebellion was ruthlessly crushed. Within a few years of...
The True Story of Santa Claus
What do you tell your children when they finally ask, “Is Santa real?” We told ours the true story of Santa. The Santa Claus story begins around 200 CE, with a sailing ship caught in the grip of a terrible storm outside the Turkish port of Myra. As cargo was being thrown overboard by a crew desperate to stop their ship being overwhelmed by the storm, someone remembered a man of God...
Who Needs A Happy Christmas Anyway?
This year when I wish people a happy Christmas, this is what I will mean. I wish you the deep happiness that comes from knowing and being known by your Creator; that comes from living thankfully, acting hopefully, and loving lavishly as you join your God in creating a world where injustice yields to justice, violence yields to peace, greed yields to generosity; and that sees you cherish this...