Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed… Luke 12:15

The line stretched to the far end of the shopping mall and around the corner as more than 1500 people waited for the doors to open. At the appointed hours the madness erupted. Hundreds of salivating shoppers pushed and shoved their way through doors before the clerks could get them fully opened to grab the best bargains in the store.

Elsewhere a mob scene broke out as greedy shoppers fought over a few $2 waffle makers dropped by another shopper who had grabbed armfuls of the product. Security had to intervene as people trampled one another in a feeding frenzy for a waffle maker.

In California police were called in when a woman pepper-sprayed a crowd of shoppers so she could get an advantage over everyone else for one of the few discounted Xbox video game players in the store.

Each of these out of control scenes happened between 10 pm and midnight on Thanksgiving Day, not on Black Friday. Retailers are not satisfied to wait till Friday anymore. They now have moved Black Friday to Black Thursday. Why? For bigger profits apparently. Retailers seem to take some perverse delight in baiting greedy shoppers into a frenzied hoard so people can trample and kill each other to gain some delusional prize. Greed rules.

In a world where seat belts are required to drive a car, and children are not allowed to take a butter knife to school in their lunchbox, it is okay for greedy retailers to intentionally lure greedy consumers into a mob setting for a profit. Such is the power and destructive force of greed that dominates our society.

How ironic that two of our most holy and joyful holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, have been overshadowed by something called Black Friday (now Thursday). Jesus warned us to guard ourselves against all kinds of greed. At a time of year when our focus ought to be on the celebration of God’s goodness, love and grace, when we ought to be rejoicing in our blessings and sharing them with others, we have allowed greed and lust to seduce us with things that do not satisfy what we really long for. A black curse has deluded us.

Grandparents, what will you do this holiday season to show your grandkids a better way? How will you help your grandchildren guard against greed at a time when greed is promoted so vigorously? Thanksgiving is past, but it is not too late to remember what it represents as a prelude to the Advent season. Not only must we guard ourselves against greed, but we must do all we can to teach and model what it means to live a life that is rich towards God.

Over the next two weeks, we will explore some ideas for making the holidays, Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas, a rich time of worship, sharing and celebration worthy of the One who made these holidays possible. May you guard your heart, and may God give you wisdom for a time such as this.

GRANDPAUSE: God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him. -John Piper