Life-teen update (12-24-2006)

To quote Carroll’s Walrus, “The time has come to talk of many things: of shoes- and ships- and sealing wax- of cabbages and kings- and why the sea is boiling hot- and whether pigs have wings.” I recommend taking Carroll’s fine words and committing them to memory. You can then spit them back out at one of the many Christmas or New Years parties that you will be attending. If you have already used up your supply of party invitations then I definitely recommend getting invited to another one just so you can recite this little poem. No doubt you are now wondering why I would ask you to remember this little ditty and what could it possibly have to do with Christmas? Or maybe you are among those who think that my cheese has finally slipped off my cracker. Regardless of which group you may happen to belong to, I actually had a point. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Walrus and the Carpenter, they appear in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There. The Walrus and the Carpenter are walking along the beach and meet a bunch of oysters, whom they invite to join them. They then lead the oysters up the beach and eat them. The reason I want you to think about this is because it is an easy trap to fall into around Christmas. We must remember that Christ is the reason for Christmas, not Santa Clause. Now I enjoy getting Christmas presents as much as the next guy, but we should stop and make sure that we thank God for those gifts that have been given to us. It is also good to remember that the Incarnation was the greatest gift that could be given to anyone, and it was given to us, but we still have to accept it. If anyone actually chooses to recite this small portion of Carroll’s work, I would be interested to know the reaction of those around you. Don’t let the world lead us astray from our oyster bed of Christianity and devour our souls with consumerism. Rather resist the secular and shout Merry Christmas and God Bless from the rooftops, but be careful because rooftops are icy and I wouldn’t want anyone to fall and get hurt. May all of you have a very blessed Christmas and I will see you all at youth group soon. Remember, there is no Life-teen on Christmas Eve or New Years Eve.