December 3, 2021

Spend Less:  A Test of Your Treasure

Many of you who know me well know that I have a reputation of being a bit of a “scrooge” or a “grinch” when it comes to Christmas.  I find myself softening to the sentiment of the Christmas season as I get older.  I will attribute that softening to my ability to look past the characteristics of what we as humans have turned Christmas into and focus on the real meaning of Christmas – the birth of our Savior, the valuable time spent with family, and the ability to pass on the story of Jesus to future generations in our family tree. In the reading of statistics below, I am reminded of the roots of my past “scroogyness”:

  • The average U.S. household spends $1,536 during the Christmas holidays.
  • Christmas retail store profits will surpass $1 trillion this year.
  • An average of $15.2 billion is spent on unwanted presents each Christmas.
  • Husbands and wives will spend an average of $123 on their spouse for Christmas.
  • Twenty-two percent of Americans believe they will go into debt this Christmas.
  • Nearly twenty percent of Americans spend their money on unplanned purchases.

And this one takes the cake . . .

  • Fifty-one percent of shoppers will buy gifts for themselves this year. 

As we continue through the Advent season, I believe God would have us just simply slow down for a moment and ask a question:  What would this Christmas look like if we would spend less?  I pray that you can join us for worship this coming Sunday as we look at Luke 12 for answers to that question.  Rumor has it that we might sing our first Christmas carol of the year!!

Blessings,

Pastor Brandon