Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the Gospel of Luke.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love so much about the day .... the reminder it is to give thanks to our God for ALL his blessings; the family fellowship around the table; the food on the table; and the after dinner banter around a football game. Part of me hates to see the day fade away ... but as with every day, it passes by far too quickly.

Of course, it is replaced by what we have labeled "Black Friday." Because it is one of the largest shopping days of the year, retailers are hoping for big sales that will go a long way toward helping them to finish the year with more income than expenses (i.e. "in the black") - and therefore the name, "Black Friday." Now there was a time that Black Friday would begin on Friday morning ... but now - some retailers have moved it up to midnight on Thanksgiving Eve (and for a few - even earlier). Add to Black Friday the hype about "Cyber Monday" (the Monday following Thanksgiving) on which day online retailers offer some great deals. Probably many of you have personally shopped either in the stores or online either last Friday or this past Monday (I confess that I bought my wife's Christmas present on Amazon last Friday). It is a good time to pick up some great deals. So these shopping days have their place.

But I am wondering . . . the place they have grown to hold? - what does this say about our culture? Are we becoming too consumer-driven? Too materialistic? This is an area of life in which we who choose to follow Jesus must constantly monitor in our own lives. It would be very easy to get sucked into the consumerism of our society. After all, we are bombarded around-the-clock with messages that we need to buy this or that product - if we want to be truly happy!

Jesus told a parable about a rich fool in the gospel according to Luke (Luke 12:16-21). The Lord prefaces the parable with the following warning, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). Words of wisdom for all of us!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj