Black Friday and Advent

So I’m sitting on the couch in my sister’s apartment in Grand Rapids, oh so content and thankful.  After a long day of cooking, laughter, a few messes, lots of food, games and pictures and stories and enjoying my first Thanksgiving with family in several years, I am humbled by how richly I have been blessed his past year.  My dad and step-mom are watching a Christmas movie (the new “Miracle on 34th Street”), and every few minutes a commercial comes on touting the amazing sales that will be coming early tomorrow morning.  “Stores open at 3AM!!!” the advertisements scream.  “Don’t miss out!!!”

On the other side of the spectrum we have organizations such as AdBusters who promote the day after Thanksgiving as “Buy Nothing Day,” as a way of protesting the rampant consumerism in our society.  I remember reading this story last year, about the worker at a Wal-Mart in New York who was killed – trampled to death – in a mad rush as shoppers tried to get the best prices on televisions and toys and clothes…  A pregnant woman was hospitalized, several others injured…  this is one aspect of Black Friday.

In the midst of these two competing visions, I am reminded of this video that my friend Andrew posted a few weeks ago:

Advent begins this Sunday, November 29th.  Let’s be thinking about creative ways to live and give this season of Advent – of waiting, of preparation…  Let’s try to do things a little differently this year.

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