Christmas Unwrapped

Last Wednesday during our reflection service, I talked about some interesting facts about this time of year. The information came from an article in the book Christmas Unwrapped: Consumerism, Christ and Culture edited by Richard Horsley and James Tracy, 2001. The article was written by Richard Horsley and I wanted to include a portion of that for those who were not at the service. Here it is:
Advent reflection

Imagine a complex multicultural society with a great, elaborate festival that lasted not simply for a few days but for several weeks:
A great festival celebrated in honor of the birth of the Lord and Savior of the world, the Prince of Peace, a man who was also worshipped as divine
A great festival celebrating abundance, with indulgence in feasting, drinking, and gift giving
A great festival during which the poor were recipients of the philanthropy and generous giving of the rich, so that they could enjoy festive food at least once a year, when all feasted on sumptuous fare
A great festival whose presence virtually pervaded public space, visually and otherwise
A prolonged festival filled with a surfeit of public entertainments in song, dance, theater, and athletic games
A prolonged festival during which local political and religious leaders presided over various rituals and ceremonies
A prolonged festival in which the very wealthy people of a city sponsored parades and lavished public displays that both entertained the masses and brought their own names to public attention
A prolonged festival in which sales of goods and services flourished as at no other time of year
A great festival that brought a sense of unity to the civic community while honoring the Savior
(The Gospel of the Saviors birth, 113).
What do you feel this describes?

It certainly seems to describe the holiday season of today.
Actually it describes what was happening during the Roman Empire to celebrate a different savior of the world Caesar Augustus. These ceremonies would be prevalent around the time of Jesus. The belief of Jesus' birth was that it occurred in the Spring not winter. The early church did not celebrate Jesus' birth but rather his death and resurrection (see Paul's letters which do not mention Jesus' birth or much about his life). Over time the church began to spend time looking at his life and birth. They began to celebrate that in opposition to the Roman celebrations honoring their savior. This makes one read the gospel stories of the birth maybe in a new light. Jesus as opposed to Caesar who is the savior of the world?
Today we seem to be in the same dynamics of what is our salvation. Is it the world's greatest military (like Rome)? Is it our commerce and consumerism? Or is it Christ? Something to reflect on in our families this Christmas time.