December 2003
"BUY THE GOOD LIFE"
The sign on the door caught my attention. It was an advertisement.
As you enter this business, in the Mall, you can't miss it. The message is
what got my attention. This is what it said, "Buy the good life".
It's Christmas time. I understand that some businesses make nearly
90% of their sales during this season of the year. Advertising is part of the
motivation for buying. So this sign, in that context, was not out of
order.
It wasn't the beauty of the sign nor the striking colors. Just the
message. In the Sears department store one can purchase all kinds of
merchandise - appliances, automotive parts, clothing, sports equipment, tools,
jewelry, communication devices, radios and TVs. My question is, what part of
thesethings becomes the "good life"?
The deeper question is, what is the "good life"? And can the "good
life" be purchased, whether at Christmas or any other time? Is your
Christmas gift going to help the receiver have the "good life"? Or are the gifts you receive going to "buy" for you the "good life"?
For some, Christmas time is the saddest part of the year. How do we
know this? One way is the number of suicides that take place during the
holiday time. Loneliness is at a higher level. Anniversaries of tragedy,
divorce, loss of family members, end of the year reminders.
I think we would agree that the "good life" cannot be bought at
Christmas time or any other time. The reason for Christmas, the birth of Christ, is the answer to having the "good life".
Jesus came to give us life. And that is wonderful. But He went
beyond that and said that He came to give us "life more abundant".
Interesting, isn't it, that we celebrate Christmas by giving and receiving gifts and miss remembering Him who made gift giving a part of our life experience.
The secret to the "good life"? Repentance, confession of one's sins,
asking forgiveness, inviting Christ into one's heart. No money or
purchase is necessary to receive and give the "good life".
God grant to you and yours a great Christian Christmas - "the most
wonderful time of the year!"
your friend and Pastor, John
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