Someone is designated as the “Garbage Person” in our Christmas celebrations. The task is simple, hold open a garbage sack and allow everyone to toss their wrappings into the bag. It keeps the mess in the room to a minimum and everyone has a little fun throwing wrapping paper garbage.
Just a minute before the paper was not garbage. Instead it was highly prized, yearned for, and waited upon. That which has become garbage was not the thing which was desired, yet it covered the very thing with celebration and joy. The wrapping has become garbage to us based on our need, or lack thereof.
Three things strike me about this whole Christmas garbage thing.
The first is a curious memory of my days before the “garbage person” when my grandmother would gently unwrap her gifts, fold and smooth the pretty paper, then save it for wrapping new gifts another year. In her quiet way, she found a gift even in the wrapping. Not only that, but she found a new year, another person, another Christmas in the paper. Nothing was overlooked, everything was sacred. I compare that to my childlike tearing away at the outside to find the inner “real” gift. How many times have I failed to see the gift within the gift? Can our garbage become more, even a blessing?
The second thought is the Christ as our garbage person. The incarnation of God in human flesh was for one purpose, to save us from our sin. The Messiah came to catch our garbage and is holding open the sack for us to throw all the stuff which blocks our path and clutters our world.
My friend Dean, who is the pastor of Glenwood Grace UMC, shared on January 3 the youth purposely filled the sanctuary with paper wrappings, garbage if you will. Then when it came time for Holy Communion everyone was asked to clean a place, a path of the garbage. Bring your garbage to Christ, even help clean the path for others, and then come and receive the free gift of life.
The third is to consider the Christ as the wrapping paper, the covering for a real gift of life. We may struggle when we see others throwing away the incarnation, the Christ child, wanting only the offered life of peace and joy. We feel the strong connection of the Easter passion week of knees bowing and gifts offered on Palm Sunday, while Friday finds the same crowds throwing away the Messiah.
It seems someone is always designated as the “garbage person” in our Christmas celebrations.
