HOLIDAY: from the Old English word “hāligdæg, meaning “holy day” originally referring exclusively to religious festivals, but later expanded to include any day of rest, celebration, or exemption from work.
I love that British people go “on holiday” because it’s a little reminder that stepping away from the ordinary has spiritual overtones. It’s possible to see every day as a Holy Day if we focus on things like gratitude and the meaning of life.
Or life can be like this:
The opening national news story last night as HH and I were settling in with our turkey sandwiches was about “The Black Friday Holiday.” (Yes, a National Guard soldier had died in DC but that story came second to projected shopping stats.)
And when did Black Friday officially become a holiday?
If we’re honest, almost all our holidays (at least in the United States) have become about money from Martin Luther King Day (mattress sales) to Valentine’s Day (flowers and cards) to Labor Day (household appliances.) It wouldn’t surprise me if more U.S. high schoolers could identify a Toyotathon before they could identify the town where Jesus was born.
Our American culture is all about money. It feels like money is everything.
Wealthy Christians (including this one) find more security in financial success than in Jesus if we are honest with ourselves. Yes, we depend on Jesus as our Lord and Savior but Jesus wants us to buy a nice home with good schools and build wealth for our children. I’m embarrassed to know hundreds of Christians who believe that they have money because they are “good.”
People striving to “make it” in America are taught that conspicuous consumption is the path to success. I officiated a wedding in 2025 between a young couple from Asia who had been taught via social media that a bride needed three wedding dresses for a true American Wedding – one for greeting guests, one for walking down the aisle, and one for the reception. They included a line about promising to get out of debt in their wedding vows.
It would be boring to write all the examples of how and why the love of money has broken our country. It feels almost impossible to overcome systemic poverty or convince the 1% to share.
My concern is for our souls. What happens to a culture when money becomes the holiest thing? I think we might be seeing those consequences today.
There has always been inequity in this country. There has always been greed. And yet it seems more and more acceptable to treat people cruelly if we can convince ourselves that they are not like us. We applaud when vulnerable people are harassed if we consider them criminals.
Few of us would admit that money (and the stuff we purchase with money) are the holiest things in our lives. But this is the season when we might ponder what are the holiest things in our lives. Advent begins this Sunday and we can choose to take a moment or a chunk of moments to ask ourselves:
What’s the holiest thing in my life? What do I worship? What do I make sacrifices for? What do I treasure? If we decide that – actually – it’s not a new Lexus or even matching pajamas – I promise that Advent will be more life-giving than soul-crushing.
A Church for Starving Artists 