Years ago Thanksgiving meant the beginning of the Christmas season,
heralded in by the arrival of the Sears Christmas Catalog. Subtitled “The Wish
Book,” it was a treasure trove of toys for girls and boys, and while some would
writer letters to Santa, we circled items on pages, and bent down the corners
leaving them for our parents. No shopping list could ever be complete without
that Sears catalog, and unlike today when we have Black Friday and insane people
get up early to shop, we would sit waiting patiently for our turn with the
book. All the cool stuff we saw on TV was right there and available through our
parents, aka Santa, and prices and everything. No excuses...and for those
housebound or away from a Sears store, they shipped it. A precursor to Amazon,
long before UPS and Fedex competed for your shipping dollar. It was an exciting
time to be a kid, and our hopes were always high, no excuses for not getting my
list Santa, my parents had it, pictures, page numbers, and prices.
But my take on the Sears Christmas changed my senior year in high school.
I was working at the local Sears store in receiving, and in the warehouse. A
huge underground facility, it was hard work, but fun, until the day the Wish
Books arrived. While some came in the mail if you had ordered that way, with a
catalog pickup at our store, you could also get your new catalog. And being a
New York metro area store, they gave out lots of them, which I had to unload.
Figure the book weighed about 5 pounds, to 30,000 of them, that was 150,000
pounds of Wish Books, that young kids like I used to be were waiting for. Three
semi trailer loads, and bundled together in groups of 8, you tossed 40 pounds at
a time to the next guy to be loaded on a pallet. Then unloaded onto shelving
where they again would be moved for the customer to get. Suddenly you had
lifted 450,000 pounds of Wish Books, or over 200 tons. Pity the fool who asked
if you wanted to go to the gym after a hard day like that. But it changed my
attitude to my old favorite, and I looked at them differently. Suddenly I
wasn’t the kid wishing and hoping and wanting anymore, I was unloading and
stacking and soon would be buying things out of it for my friend’s kids. And
later my own family. And the only thing I wished was that they would go
away...at least until next year, when the process started all over again. The
difference between giving and receiving showing up big time, and an early story
of how hard things are worked for, just so we can wish and hope some more.
Today the Wish book is gone. Amazon, the Internet, and Black Friday have
taken over in fits of greed. “I want” is heard more today than ever before, and
with more choices many don’t know what they want, they just want. Look around
after Christmas and see how toys are left broken, or tossed aside going on to
the next one. Replaced by after Christmas sales, January close outs, and new
Spring time items. Suddenly what was desired, wanted, and lusted after has come
and gone, leaving only the credit card bills to remind of all the fun and
anticipation. The wanting goes on, but never truly fulfilled, ads know just how
to appeal to our lust, easy credit terms, and free shipping. How can anyone
resist the temptation, and few do. Sadly also lost is the anticipation of the
old Sears catalog, no more waiting, no more excitement when it arrives, and no
more wishing and hoping to see what we get on Christmas morning. I want it, and
I want it now! And if I can’t, well look out. And so for some monthly payments
are an easy escape. That will go on forever...and ever....and ever.
It was fun being under the law of the Sears toy Catalog, but as today’s
laws have changed, it makes grace that much more desirable. Grace is
interesting, as it is a gift, continually given by God, but not always
accepted. It takes a relationship with Jesus to see his grace, yet many just
want the benefits, and could care less where they come from. They want the
prize, yet don’t know what it takes to deliver it, a lesson I learned unloading
catalogs. So many still live in sin, the hours are good, the pay OK, and as
long as they can keep up the payments, they may complain, but aren’t looking for
salvation. Sin will always be sin, lust has no age limits, sin no stature of
limitations. The wages of sin is always death, and many are terminally ill with
it, and don’t know it. They stay within the laws, obeying the rules, and claim
“I’m a good person,” not knowing the law will some day condemn them, only Jesus
can save them. They may complain about the weight of the Wish book, but want
everything that is in it. Things seen are what I want, maybe when I am older
I’ll turn to God. And then....
But for those forgiven in Jesus Christ the laws have no power over us. We
live in grace, guided by the Holy Spirit, with grace reigning in our lives
through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. A gift, and while others toil to
find hope in God, we have it. We can act boldly because of it, and have a whole
wish book before us in our Heavenly Father, who provides all things. Such is
grace. If you have to work for it, it isn’t a gift. It is only a gift if given
freely, and God’s love via his grace is free. So I can afford it, and easy so I
can do it.
At one time I was excited to see the Wish Book coming, later when it was a
burden I couldn’t wait until they were gone. Are we that excited about grace?
About the free gift of Jesus Christ? Or are we still suffering under the law,
trying to be good, highlighting good things we have done to God in order to be
rewarded? Grace only comes from God, can only be received a a gift, and cannot
be earned. Unlike Santa who knows if you are naughty or nice, and rewards you
as such, Jesus knows we are sinful, forgives us, and loves us as we are. Every
day can be Christmas morning as a Christian when you live in his glory and
grace. And as you get closer to him, you want less, give more, and see grace
changing your life. And it is no wonder why it is called amazing! Grace is
mentioned 148 times in the Bible, but can be mentioned everyday in your life.
Before Jesus under the law we sought to find grace in God’s eyes. We felt we
had to work for it, so when the Wish Book arrived we could be found worthy, nice
not naughty. Grace changed when it became a person, of Jesus Christ, when it
became flesh and full of life. Today you can be saved by believing on the grace
that Jesus offers, no more wishing, but as children receiving the best gift ever
given, salvation through grace. His grace is sufficient and abounding all at
once. And amazing all the time. Sin has separated us, we never had to be
taught to lust after the Wish Book, we wanted more than we ever got. Grace
unites us with a loving God, come to him today. All the hard work means nothing
if you do not get the reward. We all wanted the toys in the book, when I had to
work for them they had a new value. Grace is invaluable, and is a gift. Quit
wishing, start receiving.
The grace of our Lord is exceedingly abundant, with faith and love through
Jesus Christ. Long after the trailer was unloaded the sore muscles remained.
Grace never ends. Find grace and mercy today at the hands of Jesus, rough hands
with scars, where sin was unloaded on him. And you don’t have to work for it,
God will resist the proud who think they have to impress him, yet gives grace
freely to the humble. Enjoy the last words of God written in scripture, “the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” What an ending, I hope today it
is your beginning too. A free gift, shipping included.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com