I have seen several exhortations for me to “get into the Christmas Spirit”. This phrase seems to carry different meanings in different situations. From the context, it seems for some it means to make a purchase at a particular store, eat at a particular restaurant, or give to a particular charity. In other instances it seems to have a meaning regarding how you treat people, animals or plants.
From a horrifying report in the NY Post, it seems the Christmas Spirit is the spirit of the savage. The crush to get into a Long Island Wal-Mart was so great, a worker was trampled to death by the mob. In one report, it also mentioned a pregnant woman was knocked down, trampled and miscarried.
This event sickens and saddens me. Instead of a celebration of the Advent of our Savior, this time has become an opportunity for gross consumerism and materialism. The god of getting and having things becomes more important than the God of all, so His 6th and 10th commandments are scoffed at so things may be obtained.
And to those who may wish to argue this is an isolated incident with extenuating circumstances and the death was a very freakish occurrence, I would remind you that the 10th commandment is violated in every store and the majority of purchases being made. Through the catalogs and commercials bombarding us, we teach our children to violate the 10th commandment. And we give them an example not better than the savages at the Long Island Wal-Mart.
The day after we should be giving thanks for what we have, a display of greed and cruel avarice reminds us of what we are without Christ. May we all enter a season where we entreat our God to have mercy upon this nation for what we have become. Let us confess and repent and pray we may avoid God’s judgement for this awful state in which we find ourselves.
The Mad Monk 