How would we feel if we were invited to a birthday party in our honor and were totally ignored? How would we feel if things were all decorated for our birthday and everyone was interested in each other and I was left out of the celebration? What about our spending much too much money for birthday presents, but none of them were for us — just for those throwing the party? There was a large and extravagant meal, but I was excluded — my name was not even mentioned?
Is this how Jesus is going to feel at our homes? Ignored, slighted, left out of a party in His honor?
Jeremy Benthan (1748-1832) is considered by many to be the father of modern hedonism. Bentham promoted the philosophy that pleasure is the highest good and ultimate purpose of life and that pain should be avoided at all cost.
When I view the world today, I believe that when it comes to the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of suffering, there is not much difference between the Christian and those who choose not to follow Jesus Christ. And, as I have grown older, I notice that the hedonistic way of life has become more prevalent with each new generation. For instance, the subject of conversation today is more likely to revolve around “The Walking Dead” or the “Kardashians” than any meaningful discussion of eternal things! It is far more likely that “selfies” and Facebook postings will be shared than devotional materials.
The love of pleasure is not a new concept. The Christian leaders of the early church saw the hedonism of the Greek culture as a great threat to the new Christian movement. Nearly every book of the New Testament contains warnings about indulging in “the lusts of the flesh”. This craving emerges from one’s fallen nature that drives a person to go after the sins of his choice.
I find many modern believers now face a level of temptation that First Century Christians could have never imagined. The prosperity we enjoy and the technological advances of our age have put nearly any desire within our reach. Such a “flesh-pleasing” lifestyle can quickly get out of hand because the more one attempts to satisfy the “fleshly-passions”, the less satisfied he becomes.
A hedonistic mindset can end up in a person who sees himself as the center of his universe. He might be willing to incorporate a few moral concepts into his life, but his heart remains unchanged and unconquered. As long as “Self” remains enthroned within, one will continue living as a “committed hedonist”! The more one goes to the empty cisterns of this world to seek pleasure, the emptier he becomes. Once a person becomes addicted to pleasure, it is increasingly difficult to find contentment in anything else and that person will do anything to feed his addition!
At the heart of hedonism is the life of sense: “If it feels good, it must be right!” One’s feelings determine everything – good and bad! If we happen to feel moral, we follow that, but “if we do not…” Obedience becomes a matter of subjective convenience and choice – all revolving around how one feels at the moment. “My feelings determine my choices. I accept only what makes me feel good, happy, comfortable, excited, and I reject what disturbs or troubles me, or is too demanding or difficult, or threatens my personal pleasure. I reject whatever has ceased to thrill me. I reject what is boring.”
Another form of hedonism in our day is the frantic pace of life with which we live. We are living in a time of unprecedented activity. Movie producers now say that in order to hold a viewer’s attention, the scene must change every three seconds or the viewer will become bored and move on! We want what we want and we want it NOW! With our overbooked schedules, ringing telephones, scores of emails, rushing from appointment to appointment, we no longer have time to see the Christ Child even at Christmas!
What would happen if at this Christmas season we would spend less time in front of the television or on the Internet and learn to quiet ourselves before the Lord? We can not change the fact that we live in a fast-paced world, but we can change the atmosphere within our own homes as we learn to quiet ourselves and think of eternal things! If motion and noise characterizes the spirit of this age, perhaps as Christians we would allow silence and stillness to play a more important role in our lives so that we will be able to determine what is eternal!
My heart hurts for the youth of today, who are not learning the simple things of life that can be enjoyed. They have to have entertainment 24/7 or life is boring! They must have things to do and places to go or “why not just sleep the day away?”
Dads and Moms, I plead with you to pause the activities for this season and allow the Christ of Christmas to find His way into your family. Truly celebrate Whose Birthday It Is — Christmas is about Jesus’ birth! There is everything right about having extra family time, but do not fail to include the Christ for Christmas! I personally am not threatened by Santa, as long as I find him kneeling before the Manger!
Slow down and enjoy Jesus’ Birthday. Work on changing the most apparent belief system of our day – “hedonism” – at least in your life! AND, I believe 2017 will be a much better year when we reject personal gratification as a way of life and seek to follow the Christ of Christmas!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
