Image Credit: Pixabay.
One of my favorite Christmas stories over the years was O’Henry’s The Gift of the Magi, about a poor couple struggling to maintain themselves in the big city. At Christmas time, neither of them had the money to buy the other a gift. Not telling the other, they each made a great sacrifice and sold what was most dear to them to obtain the money. This seems to be the essence of Christmas: sacrifice as an expression of love and offering a gift to the beloved.
The gift-giving started with the Magi, the three wise men who followed a distant star to Bethlehem. The mysterious star led them to the dwelling of the recently born Christ child. There, they bowed down before Jesus and offered him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The original idea by a Christian Council in 567 was to establish the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany as a sacred season to commemorate the birth, baptism, and teachings of Jesus. And in 1659, for a time, Christmas was banned in Boston by the Puritans because of excessive merrymaking during the holidays, and the fact that Christmas was not established in the Bible. The greeting of “Merry Christmas” was popularized in Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol. In 1870 Christmas was declared a legal holiday in the USA. But over the years, Christmas has become increasingly ensnared by materialistic pursuits.
By the early 20th century, a reflective, devotional holy day had turned into a consumeristic, spend-fest event. In Matthew 7.21, Jesus cautions us: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” And he goes on, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (7.24).
Again, in Luke 6.46, Jesus asks, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?” An example is given in the Epistle of James 2.14-17, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Source: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
In the Vaishnava tradition these works in the name of God are referred to as bhakti yoga. In the Bhagavad-gita 9.26, Krishna expresses happiness with a little offering which anyone can make to Him: “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” What Krishna is really looking for in our service or offering is our love and devotion. In the next verse, Krishna broadens that statement: “O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me” (9.27).
All sacrifices and austerities we may perform and all of our scriptural study is only meant to bring us to bhakti, to work in loving devotion to the Lord. And Krishna concludes, “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.”
Rendering service is our natural condition. In our student days, we serve our teachers and professors, who tell us what books to read, essays to write, and tests to take. In our professional lives, we serve our boss, company, and clientele. Politicians have famously claimed to serve their constituency and the Constitution. Of course, we also serve our families. We even serve our bodies: eating well, buying suitable clothing, and providing adequate shelter.
Directing that work or service toward the Supreme Lord is the perfection of our activities. This type of work, in loving devotional service to Krishna, will bring us the greatest peace and happiness. In Bhagavad-gita, Krishna constantly reassures us: “He who follows this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engages himself with faith, making Me the supreme goal, is very, very dear to Me” (Gita 12.20).
And what better time to remember and act upon that than during the holy days. The holy days, when centered around God (Krishna), can be a supremely merry event: Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year.
About the Author
Sankirtana Das, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, is a longtime resident of the New Vrindaban Community and an award-winning author and storyteller. He is also a recipient of a WV Artist Fellowship Award & Grant. His most recent book, Hanuman’s Quest, is acclaimed by scholars and has received a Storytelling World Resource Honors. He also sits on the board of directors for the Vedic Friends Association. At New Vrindaban, Sankirtana offers sacred storytelling and scheduled in-depth tours. For more info about his work, visit www.mahabharata-project.com.
Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of ISKCON or ISKCON News.
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