Sharing, caring is what this sad old world badly needs

“Never have I felt so keenly the immensity of the gulf between the blessed promise of Christmas and the reality of our unredeemed human nature. In Wellawatte, where we live, the ruined and gutted walls of houses, boutiques and shops still stand as mute evidence of man’s inhumanity to man......”

That is the opening of an article written by me for this very newspaper 23 years ago, on December 25, 1983. The prospect this Christmas, - although devoid of ruined houses and properties in my immediate vicinity - is as bleak, or worse. Talk of peace seems a sham and goodwill a hypocrisy.

We are all keenly aware of the undeclared war that’s going on, with soldiers and civilians being killed every day and children being used for military purposes; suicide bombers wreaking death on the one hand and on the other, those who sell information to the enemy; the murders, rapes and robberies that are enacted daily, away from the theatre of war; corruption at its worst and in high places too; a Cost of Living that leaves all but an affluent minority gasping; child abuse, violence against women, alcoholism, drug addiction, a high toll still of suicides (quite apart from the bombers) and of road deaths; garbage and litter on our streets, continuous pollution of the environment, communal hatred and religious intolerance.

How does the Christmas message fit in? There was a bold half-page newspaper advertisement a few days ago, urging us to ‘DISCOVER TRUE BEAUTY THIS CHRISTMAS’ at .....(clothing shop? hotel? I wouldn’t know.) If the advertising pages of newspapers are to be believed, it’s in the mega stores and plush hotels that the spirit of Christmas is to be found. In a page entitled “WOMEN”, I read about “Santa Claus’s Naughty and Nice List” . Among the “Lessons” given, women were encouraged to “Jazz it up”, to “Dazzle your friends with elegant jewellery, to “Light up your life” and “celebrate Christmas in syle” by refashioning your home “into a trendy domicile by using some of these intricate and divine light givers.” The piece-de- resistance, was: “Be indulgent” which I must quote in full: “Christmas appeals to your most wicked desires, so be indulgent! Especially with mouth-watering Belgium chocolates, Walker’s finest bread, and even puddings and fruit mince tarts from Scotland”.

So that is what Christmas may mean to most people in this land. However, I am convinced that Christmas, to at least a tiny fraction of the population, signifies the incarnation, when God came down to earth in human form in the person of Jesus Christ, to show us what He was like and what He would have us be. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Peace, Love, Joy – that is what the coming of the Christ Child heralded, although sadly, few humans seem able to grasp these treasures of the human spirit. It’s all too easy to succumb to the lure of the enticing advertising in both print and electronic media and to forget that Christ warned us to “Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person’s true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be.” He did teach us that it is better to give than to receive, that anybody in need of any kind is our neighbour, that we should share with others the blessings we ourselves enjoy, that we should treat others in the same way we should like them to treat us, that a cup of cold water offered in His name is given to Him, and that whatever loving deed we do for the least important members of society, is done for Him.

How can we NOT rejoice and celebrate Christmas, the time when we remember with gratitude God’s supreme gift of Himself to humankind in coming down to share our human life and redeem us through His death and resurrection? But we cannot, if we call ourselves His followers, celebrate in an orgy of spending and feasting.

The true worship is in reflecting God’s love to all those we meet on life’s way. Of course, we will have fun and fellowship with family & friends during this blessed season.

The church family is like our extended family. Last evening, along with other “oldies” like myself, I went by special invitation to the Christmas party in the church hall organized by the Adults’ Fellowship. We sang carols, played some delightful games, listened to our Pastor’s brief message, and then enjoyed a tasty home-cooked dinner in good company. I look forward, as always, to attending our carol service on Christmas eve and then, to the joyful service in a crowded church on the 25th morning.

Christmas lunch in my home, a special, yet simple meal, is a happy occasion because of family members and a few close relatives and friends who have, over many years, come every Christmas Day to share this meal with us – I appreciate their coming all the more at this time of the year when I most keenly miss my husband’s physical presence.

Our church has many outreach programmes in which those of us who are unable to be actively involved can still help with finances. It’s great to see the young people so concerned with doing something concrete in and for the outside community in many different ways. I find that this year my children residing in Australia have agreed that instead of giving each other Christmas presents, they will contribute that money to an organization called “Tear Australia” which collects funds for making donations to some specific project in a developing country, like helping to pay for an operation needed by a poor person, or to provide clean drinking water, or a cow or a goat or whatever.

My youngest daughter in Adelaide had mentioned in an e-mail letter that she spent the morning in the social service office of her church, CareLink, (which operates the whole year round), sorting out 400 tins of food and making up 40 Christmas hampers for distribution to struggling families in and around the vicinity of the church.

Caring, sharing, building bridges of friendship and goodwill, is what this sad old world so badly needs – most certainly our own little corner of it with all its divisions, fears, suspicion and hatred. We need to remember that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is ‘the reason for the season’. The best gift we can offer Him is to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbour as ourselves.

"O Brother man, fold to thy heart thy brother!
Where pity dwells, the peace of God is there:
To worship rightly is to love each other,
Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer.
Follow with reverent steps the great example
Of Him whose holy life was doing good:
So shall the wide earth seem our Father's temple,
Each loving life a psalm of gratitude!"