What Would Jesus Buy?

What Would Jesus Buy?

Hmmmm, is that billion dollar question, or what?

He has already bought, at the greatest price paid ever, the redeemed.

As God the Son, He is not in need of something to buy.

As Man, the Son and Mediator, He had wants on Earth, which Mary and Joseph provided for. Not sure there was a WallMart near Nazareth, though?

He has taken up our human nature, and lives through his Body, on Earth now. We are the ones doing the shopping and giving. Do those who follow Him (and not all supporters of ASLaN profess to follow Him) honor Him in their shopping and giving?

Advent is a good time for reflection on this question.

Buy Nothing Christmas, 2006

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The Buy Nothing Xmas 2006 Press Release has some ASLaN-approved sanities:

HAVE LESS, LIVE MORE: BUY NOTHING CHRISTMAS

RECLAIMING THE SEASON: Those of us who shiver at the thought of hour-long line-ups and $5 gift tags finally have something to rejoice about over the holidays: fed-up citizens and social activists from across the world are inviting everyone to take part in Buy Nothing Christmas.

Inspired by the international successes of Buy Nothing Day, and disgusted with the personal debt, spiritual emptiness, and ecological damage that the holiday season now entails, writers and activists began to heavily promote the idea of a downshifted Christmas in the late nineties. Since then, the idea has been taken up by individuals, community groups, churches, and schools in at least a dozen countries, with strongest support in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Despite the name, the Buy Nothing Christmas campaign is not really about refusing to spend a dime over the holiday season. It’s about taking a deep breath and deciding to opt out of the hype, the overcrowded malls, and the stressful to-do lists. It’s about reminding ourselves to really think about what we are buying, why we are buying it, and whether we really need it at all.

“First and foremost, it’s about restoring authenticity to one the world’s great religious and secular traditions,” said Kalle Lasn, editor-in-chief of Adbusters magazine and long-time advocate of holiday restraint. “Christmas has been warped beyond recognition by commercial forces. It’s about time we took it back.”

There is more, but that is the core.