Quote from Forum Archives on November 16, 2011, 11:58 am

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional
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11.16.11

An Early Christmas

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! - 2 Corinthians 9:15 NKJV.

The word is that the "Black Friday" shopping day after Thanksgiving has been
pushed back by some stores and will actually begin on Thanksgiving Day.
Christmas decorating and shopping seems to come earlier every year. A few
days ago, 44-year-old Terry Trent who lives in Ohio, was already putting up
Christmas decorations in a home. Trent lit the Christmas candle and put out
the Christmas wreath; then he settled in to watch a little TV, and enjoy his
bath salts (what!?). According to the police report Trent, who was high on
bath salts, broke into a home; put up Christmas decorations, and then
relaxed on the family couch watching some TV. A family member discovered the
man when he came home, and the man said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare
you. I'll get my things and go." Trent has been arrested. I am wondering
what he has been charged with.maybe, unlawful and early Christmas
decorating? (Orange News 11.14.11)

It is sad that the retail shopping season has intruded on families being
together on Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. Last year, when I
was paying for some things at a store, the clerk was almost in tears having
just found out that she was scheduled to work on Thanksgiving Day. She was
newly married and had been looking forward to spending her first
Thanksgiving Day with her husband. Since I did not see her at the store
after that day, I believe she must have decided some things were more
important than her employer's desire to make money. I do realize that the
economic reality is that many of us simply must work on holidays, whether it
is Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or another day. In addition, protecting
public safety requires that many be in their place of service to protect and
serve on holidays. Doctors, nurses, EMTs and countless others give of their
holiday time to serve others. However, I am certainly in favor of sparing as
many people from having to do that as possible.

What is Thanksgiving really all about? It is about giving thanks to our God
for all that we have. It is also about thanking God for a Savior, Jesus
Christ. What is Christmas about, or should it be about? It is the
celebration of the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Maybe it is
okay to celebrate Christmas early on Thanksgiving by giving thanks to God
for Jesus. In fact, maybe it would be okay to celebrate Christmas early
every day by giving thanks to God for our Savior, Jesus Christ. "Thanks be
to God for His indescribable gift!"

However, that does not mean that I have to like "Black Friday", or retailers
forcing employees to work on Thanksgiving Day. So, instead of having
employees work on Thanksgiving, perhaps the employer should trust God to
provide the sales that they need on the other days before Christmas. Hmm?
Maybe God would bless a decision like that? I think He would!! And, maybe
those of us who have been participating in the mad scramble to buy Christmas
gifts on Thanksgiving, and on Black Friday should just opt out this year.
Maybe God would bless a decision like that? I think He would!!

Copyright © 2011. Ed Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since
January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush
Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early
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