Have a question about faith? Send it to MorristownGreen.com, and a cleric from the Morristown Area Clergy Council will offer an answer as best we are able.
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:
Dear Clergy Corner–
Many of my friends are out of work, or are fearful of losing their jobs. They know it’s going to be a lean Christmas; they hate to disappoint their kids and they feel guilty about it. How should they prepare their children for a Christmas that won’t stack up with that of their friends? How can one enjoy a holiday in which giving is the central theme, when times are hard?
–Ebenezer
RESPONSE 1:
Dear Ebenezer
Being people of faith we work with economically stressed individuals almost every day. Many of them feel guilty that they are not living up to the standards of this world. They do not have large houses, big flat screen televisions and expensive automobiles. Unfortunately their children may be teased in school for not having the expensive trinkets of this world. On the other hand, their economic poverty may have taught important life lessons about family, caring and sharing. Lessons many of us who have plenty may never learn.
Christmas is about giving but not in the way the world gives. Jesus is God’s gift to this world. God gave us the gift of presence through the birth of a baby boy. I would suggest giving your children the gift of time this year.
If your children are young, spend time finding what they are interested in, hunting for the perfect gift and taking the time to play with them. These actions are critical to them understanding the how much you value the gift and their presence in your life.
My experience with this generation of adolescents is that they care deeply for the global community. Give them a gift they can be proud of. Donate to a world hunger or development organization in their name.
Teaching your children that gifts should not be measured by monetary value is an important life lesson. The rich are not necessarily the happiest people in the world. Sometimes material items can own us. Happy and well adjusted kids know that gifts of attention and love are much more important.
Relax, some of the best parents in the world are economically challenged. Go to church, teach your children faith, go home, pop some popcorn, play games with your children and give them a big hug for me. God loves you.
Pastor Neill Tolboom
Morristown United Methodist Church
RESPONSE 2:
Dear Ebenezer,
Thanks so much for writing! Your letter highlights one of the central paradoxes of this season and gives me a chance to share an idea/campaign/movement that has really inspired me: Advent Conspiracy (see links below). As you say, giving is the central theme of Christmas, but God’s gift to us, and its potential to transform the world, often gets lost in the shuffle of stress and shopping. The weeks of Advent, instead of being a time of preparation and contemplation, become what one of my parishioners called “the death march to Christmas.”
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead of trying to meet unrealistic–and unhealthy–consumerist expectations of a happy holiday (which often produces more exhaustion, frustration, and debt than real joy), we can take advantage of a leaner Christmas and celebrate in ways that actually mean more. The concept behind the Advent Conspiracy is “Worship fully, spend less, give more, love all.” As your namesake Ebenezer Scrooge discovered, what makes us happy is being with those we love–presence, not presents–and widening our circle of care and concern. Check out the video and website below, and have a truly Merry Christmas!
https://www.adventconspiracy.org
Blessings,
The Rev. Lisa Green
Interim Rector
Church of the Redeemer
About the Morristown Area Clergy Council
The Morristown Area Clergy Council is an interfaith group of clergy and congregational representatives who gather for the purpose of mutual support, professional growth, and fellowship. Our mission is to inspire activities promoting justice, religious liberty, and interfaith understanding by educating, organizing for advocacy, interfaith dialogue, and celebration.
The Council came into existence in response to local needs—race riots in Morristown High School, the problem of homelessness, etc. Its hands-on efforts to meet challenges have laid the groundwork for the Community Soup Kitchen, Homeless Solutions and the chaplaincies at Morristown Memorial Hospital and the Morris County Detention Facility.
Two large demonstrations were organized in response to a Morristown visit by a white racist group. Recent efforts included the first interfaith build of Morris County Habitat for Humanity, the organization of the Workers Center of Pathways to Work, and the Hospitality Link homeless program. The Council also co-sponsors an interfaith breakfast on Martin Luther King Day.
