Nostalgia-The False God
I love the Christmas season. Carols, desserts, parties, Christmas trees, and, yes, I love Christmas shopping. Yes, I'm one of those people.
Around mid-November, I'm chomping at the bit to break out my Christmas playlist for my commute to work. For six weeks, French Horns, Rat-Pack Christmas albums, the Vince Guaraldi trio, and more are the soundtrack of my life.
Sales and marketing departments love people like me because I'm an easy target. They know that all they have to do is put out some key images, like a retro-looking Santa with a bottle of Coke, and I'm in! Take my money! Just pump in the classic rat-pack Christmas carols in the malls, and I might hang around and buy an extra hot chocolate. Businesses know how to use the not-so-secret weapon of marketing... Nostalgia.
I don't have a problem with Nostalgia in itself. I'm very nostalgic when it comes to entertainment and food. If they make Back to the Future IV starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, I will show up at the theatre and buy some tickets and popcorn.
Occasionally Nostalgia is used to draw me toward a history that isn't even mine. If someone starts a 1950's diner, I'll be there to give it a try any day of the week because for some odd reason, I've been convinced by others that hamburgers tasted better 70 years ago.
If I ever open a restaurant, it’ll be something like this
However, I have no real connection to that era or what it would have been like to experience a 50's diner. I also can't vouch for its authenticity.
My problem is that we give so much credence to what Nostalgia asks us to believe. Ideas like:
"Things used to be better back then."
"I'm dreamin' of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know."
"Society is off track, our country is ruined, and we need to go back."
"You were safer and more secure in the past; dark times are ahead."
"If we don't put up a Christmas tree at city hall, Satan is winning." I jest at the last point, but you've likely recently encountered a version of all these ideas.
I'm old enough to say that the past isn't what it's always cracked up to being. I'm happy to honor what's good about it, but I'm not going to give the past any more respect than it deserves. When we give honor and glory to something that isn't alive or life-giving...That's idol worship. Nostalgia is a false god that will take your money, time, and vision. If we're not careful, Nostalgia can rob us of meaningful opportunities to move forward.
The Christmas season is not about retrieving comfort from the past; it's about a hopeful expectation for what is ahead. God's gift to humankind in the form of Jesus points us toward a bold and beautiful future. The story in the Bible tells us that King Herod liked things the way there were and did everything in his power to prevent the dawning of a new day. A future where everyone has a place to live, food to eat, and the chance to live in peace. Let's not let inaccurate memories of the past keep us from considering the possibilities of life beyond what we already know. While Nostalgia temps us to return to the past, Christmas pushes us onward.
Friend, may the spirit of the holiday season inspire you to see greater things!