Big Scary Question

So it's officially the Holiday Season. People are out shopping, there are massive advertising campaigns bombarding our lives everywhere we go, the weather, though not bad yet, will soon be beyond brutal in Cincinnati, less and less people are in classes (including myself), the playoff picture is beginning to clear in the NFL (not for the Bengals), everyone is soon to be pissed again that there is no playoff system for college football, traffic is awful, it sucks to have to cut the grass that one last time, you know the drill... Its the exact same set of things that happens every year at this time. Personally I love the holidays! I get a chance to be on semi-vacation. For a three week period this year starting December 9th I only have to work, no school on top of it. Also I usually get some gifts from people, nothing big, but people see Christmas at least as a good opportunity to say some nice things about each other. I know it's lame, but I like the warm fuzzy feeling from hearing people that love me tell me so. Along with that I like the opportunity to get some stuff for people that will make them happy. My sister and I started teaming up on gifts about 2 years ago for both our parents and grandparents. It makes it easier for us to brainstorm and if we pool our limited funds we can buy something a little nicer for people. I think this year we are going to try and do framed pictures of us together for our grandparents, and some of those fleecy blankets with the tied together edges with our college prints on each side for our parents. I read somewhere that the average household is expected to spend around $780 on gifts this year for Christmas...that's crazy. Then there is all the politically correct nonsense that goes on. It's no longer acceptable to say the Christmas season. Even though it is still a national holiday and recognized by everyone alive on earth, its politically incorrect to talk about it. Who are we kidding? It is interesting to me how silly some of the things people are willing to get upset over. I heard on the radio the other day that there was actually a court case where it was decided that a burrito can not be considered a sandwich and is in fact not a sandwich but something entirely different. Are you SERIOUS?!?!?

I am confident that I am a contributing member to a society that is as far from biblical principles as any society has ever been. It really worries me that there is so much corruption in the US right now. I mean we pretty much have the trademarks of every major corruption that the Bible talks about. Worshiping false idols, worshiping other gods, prostitution, gluttony, adultery, homosexuality, dishonest political leaders, let alone political leaders that aren't men and women of God, greed, idleness, the list is endless. Our redeeming factor may be that we have a lot of churches, organizations and people that are fighting hard to reduce the problem. It brings up something I am personally confused about. In the Old Testament we get a picture of a God who, when things turn away from him, slowly gets angry, and then does something to remind his people that they need to look at Him. In the New Testament we see a gracious God who is all about meeting us where we are and working with us as we try to figure out how to live broken lives while following the leadership of Christ. I have to try to remember that we are dealing with the same God though, he never changes... So at what point does God get upset enough with our, as a society, general disinterest in living lives worthy of our calling to do something about it? At the heart of this question is another that I am more afraid of. When God looks at my life, am I part of what he's getting upset about or part of what is keeping him from being more upset? Sure I get a lot of things right, but I get a lot of things wrong too, and probably more of the latter. I think its hard to even maintain an accurate picture of what is right and wrong because of the standard being so far from acceptable. Kolia told leadership once that it is important to stay as far from crossing the line as possible, not to try to get as close as possible without getting in trouble. I don't have an answer to either question, all I can do is try to use the opportunities given me to the best of my ability. I think I am rambling now, and have definitely strayed from the idea of holiday season, but this is a question worth thinking about. The love of Christ is the Greatest Gift, and it deserves the ultimate response.