Less. Now there’s a word you don’t hear very often in December. Can you picture a child writing Santa and saying: “When you come to my house on Christmas Eve, can you bring me less presents than last year?” Can you imagine the advertising gurus down on Madison Avenue getting together and coming up with a ad campaign promoting buying less this holiday season? And personally I can’t ever recall myself standing in front of the dessert table at Christmas get-together and saying, “Now remember, my goal is to eat less Christmas goodies than I did last year.”
Nope – “Less” has a hard time making a living during December each year. Now January – that’s a different story. People across the country are opening January credit card statements and mumbling to themselves how they wish they’d spent less on the presents that Santa didn’t supply. I join the ranks of millions of Americans who decide that eating less come January is a necessity to make up for the holiday season of big meals and sweet treats. And the advertising gurus of Madison Avenue? Well they are the sly ones. They make their living in January with commercials showing us how to spend more to eat less. But any way you look at it, “less” is not an easy word to sell.
John the Baptizer can tell you that first hand. He takes the word “less” to a whole different level as he responds to the jealous complaints of two of his disciples. The new Gallup Poll was out and it showed that Jesus was now the number one draw among the people of Judea and Galilee. The stream of people who used to be headed out to John was significantly less, while the people going to hear Jesus was significantly more. This rise in popularity had certainly caught the attention of John’s disciples and now they were there ready to hear yet another fiery sermon from the one they called “Rabbi” (or Teacher). But that’s not what they heard coming from John’s mouth. He talked about the role of a best man at a wedding and how the best man doesn’t get jealous that the groom gets more attention than he receives. Then at this point, John spoke the words that had to have hit his disciples hard: “He must become greater, I must become less.”
Talk about something that is hard to sell among us humans. When it comes to our self-centered natures, “less” is definitely a four letter word. Unless you’re talking about less self-control or faith or Jesus, our sinful hearts consistently and aggressively go after the word “more” as if it were second nature to us (which in reality – it is!) We love linking words to the word “more.” How about: “more power,” or “more pleasure,” or the ever popular “more money?” But “less” of me? That would go over about as well as selling swimming pools and patio furniture in December in Cleveland.
Nope – “Less” has a hard time making a living during December each year. Now January – that’s a different story. People across the country are opening January credit card statements and mumbling to themselves how they wish they’d spent less on the presents that Santa didn’t supply. I join the ranks of millions of Americans who decide that eating less come January is a necessity to make up for the holiday season of big meals and sweet treats. And the advertising gurus of Madison Avenue? Well they are the sly ones. They make their living in January with commercials showing us how to spend more to eat less. But any way you look at it, “less” is not an easy word to sell.
John the Baptizer can tell you that first hand. He takes the word “less” to a whole different level as he responds to the jealous complaints of two of his disciples. The new Gallup Poll was out and it showed that Jesus was now the number one draw among the people of Judea and Galilee. The stream of people who used to be headed out to John was significantly less, while the people going to hear Jesus was significantly more. This rise in popularity had certainly caught the attention of John’s disciples and now they were there ready to hear yet another fiery sermon from the one they called “Rabbi” (or Teacher). But that’s not what they heard coming from John’s mouth. He talked about the role of a best man at a wedding and how the best man doesn’t get jealous that the groom gets more attention than he receives. Then at this point, John spoke the words that had to have hit his disciples hard: “He must become greater, I must become less.”
Talk about something that is hard to sell among us humans. When it comes to our self-centered natures, “less” is definitely a four letter word. Unless you’re talking about less self-control or faith or Jesus, our sinful hearts consistently and aggressively go after the word “more” as if it were second nature to us (which in reality – it is!) We love linking words to the word “more.” How about: “more power,” or “more pleasure,” or the ever popular “more money?” But “less” of me? That would go over about as well as selling swimming pools and patio furniture in December in Cleveland.
But that is exactly what John is talking about with his two disciples. And it leaves me asking myself (and through this devotion – you) this question: “What if we took seriously a ‘John the Baptist’ Christmas where it’s all about Jesus becoming greater among us and through us, and less of you or me? I really believe our celebration would look a little different, and in fact, I think we’d experience more of the love, hope, joy and peace that Christ came down to earth to restore in our lives. I can’t answer for you, but I find myself praying for “less” me this Christmas, and a “greater” dose of Him.
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