John the Baptist – the Grinch who Restores Christmas

Jesus not only endorsed John the Baptist, it is possible that he discipled under his forerunner for a time, only to emerge later as a force in his own right.  But the two were very different, as outlined in the following table:

John the Baptist was an ascetic	Jesus was a lush
John was based in the wilderness	Jesus had an urban base – from Nazareth to Capernaum to Jerusalem
John was reclusive and exclusive	Jesus engaged, almost as a populist
John called people to repent	Jesus taught people to love their enemies
John practiced baptism	Jesus practiced inclusion and tolerance
John disturbed public leaders	Jesus disturbed religious leaders
John was expecting an apocalyptic messiah and wondered if it was Jesus	Jesus heralded the “reign of God” which could mean morality and ethics

John emphasized conversion – behaviour change.  It was down-to-earth, practical stuff, none of the mysticism of St Paul’s reinvention of Jesus:

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.  John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.  Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
Share your resources with the poor, don’t overtax them or extort them.  The well-to-do should be content – enough is enough.

The Patron Saint of Fundraising
In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens articulates his social comment on Christmas: "At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. ... We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices.”

That was 150 years ago!  It was after the Industrial Revolution, but before the dawn of Consumerism.  In a way, Christmas has been hijacked.  It seems to be more of a celebration of Abundance than of the birthday of one who taught:

Congratulations, you poor!

God's domain belongs to you.

Congratulations, you hungry!

You will have a feast.

Congratulations, you who weep now!

You will laugh.

These beatitudes feature the dramatic presentation and reversal of expectations that are characteristic of Jesus.  He and Charles Dickens were on one and the same frequency when it comes to the need for social justice and a preoccupation with the poor.

The Gap
A study by the World Institute for Development Economics Research at United Nations University reports that the richest 1% of adults alone owned 40% of global assets in the year 2000. The three richest people possess more financial assets than the lowest 48 nations combined.  The combined wealth of the "10 million dollar millionaires" grew to nearly $41 trillion in 2008.  Meanwhile, in 2001, 46.4% of people in sub-Saharan Africa were living in extreme poverty.  Nearly half of all Indian children are undernourished, however, even among the wealthiest fifth one third of children are malnourished.

The Occupy Movement
The phrase "The 99%" is a political slogan used by protesters of the Occupy Movement.  It was originally launched as a Tumblr blog page in late August of 2011.  It refers to the concentration of wealth among the top 1% of income earners compared to the other 99 percent; the top 1 percent of income earners nearly tripled after-tax income over the last thirty years according to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report.

The report was released just as concerns of the Occupy Wall Street movement were beginning to enter the national political debate.  According to the CBO, between 1979 and 2007 the incomes of the top 1% of Americans grew by an average of 275%.  During the same time period, the 60% of Americans in the middle of the income scale saw their income rise by 40%.  Since 1979 the average pre-tax income for the bottom 90% of households has decreased by $900, while that of the top 1% increased by over $700,000, as federal taxation became less progressive.  From 1992-2007 the top 400 income earners in the U.S. saw their income increase 392% and their average tax rate reduced by 37%.  In 2009, the average income of the top 1% was $960,000 with a minimum income of $343,927.  In 2007 the richest 1% of the American population owned 34.6% of the country's total wealth, and the next 19% owned 50.5%. Thus, the top 20% of Americans owned 85% of the country's wealth and the bottom 80% of the population owned 15%.

Culture Jamming
This phenomenon is a form of protest. The term "jam" contains more than one meaning, including improvising, by re-situating an image or idea already in existence, and interrupting, by attempting to stop the workings of a machine.  This was the vocation of the prophets, and John the Baptist was the greatest of them all.

We need to recover his message, which Jesus held in high esteem.  In fact, not only was John a forerunner of Jesus but his Gospel of Repentance precedes the radical message of inclusion and tolerance that follows it – to the point of loving your enemies.  It is predicated on John’s missive about sharing and contentment.

Gifts of the Magi
The practice of exchanging of gifts at Christmas is a kind of Mutual Fund.  Everybody benefits!  In some shops, 50% of annual turnover happens during the season of Christmas shopping.  This is not to be confused with agape love or compassion.

Remember that this is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices.

The Magi brought gifts to a baby lying in a manger.  The New Testament never says that this was in a stable.  It simply says that there was no guest room available.  Mangers built from wood are not that different in size or shape from cradles.  They are crude, but readily available in an agrarian setting.  In today’s urban setting it might have happened that Mary laid Jesus in a cardboard box!  The point is that they were not well-to-do.

So when the Magi came, it was a case of grown-ups who were wealthy and wise sharing with a poor and vulnerable child.

The Grinch who Restores Christmas
This is a call in the year of the Arab Spring, “culture jamming” and the Occupy Movement, to revise your gift-giving habits.

Beware the hype of advertising!  Be content with what you have.

Follow the same star that the Magi did – to a humble setting where “Want is keenly felt”.

Don’t celebrate Abundance.  Affluence is not something to rejoice in, when the disparities outlined above are on the rise.

The Cause of the Month
The annual round of climate talks began this week in Durban, South Africa. The big questions are said to be:

• the fate of the Kyoto Protocol
• emissions reduction targets
• how to bridge the divide between rich and poor

Don’t ask “What can Durban deliver?”

Ask what you can deliver, this month – to those where Want is keenly felt.  That is where the road out of Global Warming begins.