GoodNews Florida

I love the word “stuff.” It’s one of those words that just seems to do its job well and even sounds right. It communicates a kind of mass and bare existence but nothing of significance, purpose or value. A library has books, a living room has furniture and a laundry room has, well, laundry. But attics and garages? They have stuff. They are the places for incoherent jumbles of what is not needed now, may be used later, or is just too valuable to throw away but too worthless to keep in view. Every piece had purpose and value at some time, but then, over time, became just “stuff.” Unfortunately, “stuff” is a big part of Christmas. It’s not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with gifts, trees, sweaters, turkey and even the occasional fruit cake — well, there’s usually something wrong with the fruit cake — it’s that these things have all gotten jumbled together and lost their meaning and been turned into “stuff.” They fill the space of the Christmas attic and don’t leave much room for what really matters. We all know this. A lot like knowing there is too much stuff in the attic, we know there is too much stuff in Christmas. I’d bet you hear, read and think yearly about how the true meaning of Christmas is lost. You probably also feel a little guilt realizing the way the stuff has taken over. Maybe every year you have re- solved, “This year I am really going to fit in more ‘real’ Christmas.” I bet you also feel like it didn’t work. This year, I expect to hear plenty of sermons, suggestions and pleas to get Christ back into Christmas. I expect to think most of them are right (just like I do every year). But I am not sure getting Christ back into Christ- mas is the best approach. Maybe instead of trying to fit Christ into Christmas, we need to work on remembering all the places he is already. Restoring stuff That’s where the meaning of the word “stuff” hints at a solu- tion. Remember how it commu- nicates worthless, shapeless bulk taking up space? It didn’t start that way. I bet a dig in the garage stuff would bring back memories, reminding you of long lost purposes attached to what is now just stuff. Sure, some of my stuff is really junk, but not all of it (and less than my wife would suggest). Some of it still can be redeemed, brought back to life and given back the meaning I’ve forgotten was ever there. I’d bet nearly every tradition started off with purpose before turning into “Christmas stuff.” I don’t know what all of those are; fruitcakes are pretty tough to solve. But I know many of the very traditions that now distract us from the gospel were origi- nally intended to reflect it, to communicate it, to keep us think- ing of it. What if instead of trying to find room in the little bits of ǇÙÊĀÙǇN¿Ä ¬ ͯ XXXSFEDIBJSDBUFSJOHOFU 1FNCSPLF3E6OJU#)PMZXPE'- Ǥÿ¯¿¿>BhY'Q\'Q*TY=ǤT 1BDLBHFTTUBSUJOHBU 'SFEFMJWFSZJGCPLFECZ/PWUI scholarly perspective for college and beyond. ners, and leaders with a Biblical and thinkers, lear ong foundation for them to be exceptional eating a str cr ogram eschool pr estminster Academy in our pr at W Many of our graduates started their educational jour Education Starts He A Quality Christ-Center — ney er , ed e view today! Sign up at . e HYVZ\UVQZY(LOKUHZJPLO( ZJTLKHJ(UYLVV[ZHO`TLKHJ( estminster e n o T lear mor about all that W ќ P P [ S [ [ [ P M personal pr view tour wa.edu/pr e information. , for mor 1.4615, ext. 2529 `VNZKV.YVZ[ULH[KUHZ[MNYLONU edicated to SVVOJZ`V[HHWLWLNLSVJKLZHI S Y Y Y K [ P P S M » S Y Please vis L ZUT[ZL> P 954.77 or call e view wa.edu/pr it Z\`ISLJ_V[Z[UL\[Z[UHULVJNUWW\X `SHJPII LL[ULJ[ZPOHZ`TLHJ(YL[ K P * Y Y K P S S P P ] K L P Redeeming the Stuff of Christmas Tim Sansbury Good News (Continued on page 43 )