There is a story

of a young Naval Academy graduate,

who after completing his first overseas cruise,

was given an opportunity to display his talents

at getting his ship underway

and out of port.

The young officer's efficiency

established a new record

for getting a naval ship underway.

He was stunned, however,

when a sailor approached him

with a message from their captain.

"My personal congratulations

upon completing your underway preparations exercise

according to the book

and with amazing speed.

In your haste however,

you have overlooked

one of the fundamental rules --

make sure the captain is on board

before you leave."

I think there is not a better preparation

for our text today.

First they were on cigarette packages

and diet soda cans,

and now they're on everything

from baby strollers to automobile sun visors.

Warning labels.

A cautionary note on a Batman costume says:

"Mask and chest plate are not protective;

cape does not enable user to fly."

Earlier this year

legislators in the state of Washington,

led by a representative named Mark Miloscia,

introduced a bill

that would require a cautionary label

on credit cards,

analogous to the labels

that already appear on cigarette packs

and liquor bottles.

The message would read,

"Warning: Failure to research interest rates and credit cards

may result in personal financial loss or possible bankruptcy."

It is not the only one of its kind. ...

The National Center for Financial Education,

a nonprofit group,

is already making available a do-it-yourself version:

an adhesive-backed label bearing the words:

"Warning: Overuse Can Be Dangerous to Your Wealth!"

Now it may be that

a warning should appear

on the bottom of every monthly

bank or brokerage statement:

"Economic good times

may be hazardous to your health."

Economist Christopher Ruhm has discovered

a dark side

to a booming economy

and a silver lining

to economic bad times.

He asserts

in a recent issue of the

Quarterly Journal of Economics,

the health of Americans

deteriorates during temporary upturns in the economy,
and improves when business is in retreat.

It's a curious and counter-intuitive conclusion.

Not at all what we'd expect.

Ruhm claims that

we feel bad

when times are good,

and feel good

when the economy is bad.

He found,

for example,

that the death rate dropped

in states when the unemployment rate went up,

particularly among younger people.

In one instance, he estimated that

a one percentage-point rise in unemployment

decreased deaths

involving 25- to 44-year-olds

by more than 2,900 in 1990.

He also found that

as people went back to work,

there was an associated increase in

homicides, traffic deaths and accidents of all types.

Deaths from heart disease, flu and pneumonia

also rise by a smaller but still significant amount.

So why would

bad times be good

and good times be bad?

A big reason is that Americans,

particularly younger people,

tend to indulge more

when the economy soars.

We eat more and drink more booze,

which is largely why accidents of all types increase.

Likewise, Ruhm says

"obesity increases

when the economy strengthens,

whereas physical activity is reduced

and diet becomes less healthy."

While it's no mystery

that overindulgence

of food and drink can hurt us,

so can excessive decorating, shopping and holiday activity.

When times are good

and we look around at what everyone's got,

we look at our lives

and indulge, buy, keep up with the Joneses.

When times are hard

we look around

and it is easier to choose based on need,

rather than greed.

We need to stand with the psalmist

who pleads in our text:

"Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth,

and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

for you I wait all day long" (Psalm 25:4-5).

Good economic times

can be hazardous to our health,

and so can holidays.

To get through the season to come,

we need to know the ways of God,

the one who calls us

to use these weeks

to prepare ourselves prayerfully,
to simplify our activities
and to focus on steadfast love, faithfulness

and keeping covenant with God (v. 10).

But first,

what's the cause

of all this pre-Christmas chaos?

It seems that the gods of consumerism

have taken such control of the season --

in the guise, incidentally,

of the Christian virtue of generosity --

that Christians are turning increasingly to the church

for guidance in finding alternative ways to celebrate.

Members of the ChristBody

are looking for ways

to observe the holiday

in a way that stands a chance

of bringing us some peace and joy,

and that involves a generosity

that is more of spirit than of shopping lists.

One way to avoid the hazards of the holidays

is to see Advent as

a season of expectation --

not gratification.

Oddly enough,

"less is more"

when we use these weeks as

a time of prayerful preparation,

a time of mystery and awe

instead of pageants and parties.

At the very least,

we can sing some songs of anticipation

of these four Sundays before Christmas,

instead of rushing straight into carols.

While "Joy to the World"

started bouncing off the walls of malls

the day after Thanksgiving,

in our worship we can be singing

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,"

which is slower

and more mysterious and awe-inspiring.

Bill Parent,

a Catholic priest who I know

goes even further.

He won't say "Merry Christmas" until December 24 --

a not-so-subtle reminder that

the true Christmas season begins only on that day.

He has found that many people,

fed up with the commercial aspects of the holiday season,

are receptive to reclaiming older traditions,

such as focusing on Saint Nicholas --

a true saint! --

instead of Santa Claus.

When Saint Nick showed up

at the annual parish photo-op

for children in one of his churches,

Bill was pleasantly surprised to see

how content the little ones were

to whisper their Christmas lists

to the fourth-century bishop of Myra.

Of course,

it's tough to set limits on Santa

when you have grade-school children,

and in many instances,

it's the desire to be good parents

that lures us into holiday excess.

The gods of the mall seduce us

with the Siren song of generosity,

and even the old elf himself

can be seen as

an illustration of Christian grace --

he always gives us more

than we truly deserve.

Problem is,

even GOOD excess

can be hazardous to your health.

Have you seen the

"Life Change Index"?

It's a chart developed by a stress researcher

that assigns numerical value

to the amount of stress various life-events bring.

For any one event,

100 would be

the maximum amount of stress,

while zero would indicate

no stress at all.

This researcher's claim is that if,

within a one-year period,

you accumulate 300 stress points,

you are likely to experience

some negative change in your health.

Predictably,

the death of a spouse

yields 100 points on the stress scale.

Divorce gives 73 points,

while a marital separation is a 65-pointer.

Personal injury or illness,

53 points.

Being fired,

47 points.

What is surprising is that several events

which we normally consider to be good things

also show up on the stress scale:

Getting married,

50 points.

Marital reconciliation,

45 points.

Gaining a new family member,

39 points.

Outstanding personal achievement,

28 points.

Vacation,

13 points.

And closest to our concerns today:

Christmas, 12 points.

Slap on the warning label!

Even good times

can be stressful and hazardous,

so with the threats of this season's

activity-exhaustion and shopping-mall-mania,

we should do whatever we can

to reduce our stress and simplify our lives.

Some conscientious Christians

are moving away from

store-bought baubles

and toward a group of items and services

called "alternative gifts."

There is, for example,

the Heifer Project International,

which provides livestock and training to families

in more than 40 countries.

Donors are invited to purchase such gifts as

a flock of chicks for $20,
a trio of rabbits for $60,
a pig for $120
or a heifer for $500.

It sure beats another gift basket.

Others set limits

on the amount they spend on gifts at Christmas.

Some congregations are promoting the

"Hundred Dollar Holiday,"

in which families promise to spend

no more than a total of

$100 on Christmas --

an act that forces simpler, more personal

and often handmade gifts.

Christian environmentalist Bill McKibben

has been spearheading this program

among Methodists for about 10 years

with some success --

although retailers surely

wish it would die a quick death.

So, too, McKibben's ideas

for the simple gift of time --

baking a pie,
recording a song,
whittling a walking stick
or visiting a nursing home resident.

Parents:

How about encourage your children

to give you coupons --

redeemable for "setting the table"

or some other household chore?

Family members can exchange coupons

for a monthly back rub,
baby- sitting,
house painting
or a trip to the zoo.

A joke making the rounds these days asks

what would have happened if

Three Wise Women

had gone looking for Jesus

instead of Three Wise Men?

Answer:

They would have asked directions,
arrived on time,
helped deliver the baby,
cleaned the stable,
made a casserole
and brought practical gifts!

Stable cleaning

beats frankincense and myrrh

any day of the week.

In a time of holiday hazards,

such truly valuable ACTIONS

are ways that the Lord can move us

toward a deeper appreciation of the gift of Christ at Christmas.

Investment of precious time and talent

remind us that

"all the paths of the LORD

are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant

and his decrees" (v. 10).

I think we come to this kind of approach

when we participate in Angel Tree...

purchasing a gift on behalf of a parent who is incarcerated.

Some of us have sought out TMM Children's Village

to volunteer time.

There is tremendous value

in exposing our children

to life beyond the bubble of affluence,

introducing them to a family

that worries more about paying the rent

than picking up the latest Pokémon merchandise.

Christmas can help weaken the walls

that isolate us in our own economic niches.

All these activities --

Advent expectation,
limit-setting,
alternative gifts,
outreach to neighbors --

can reduce the risk of holiday hazards

and prepare us much better

for the central, spiritual event of Christmas.

This is not to make the mistake

I've made in the past

and plaster a warning label

over the entire season

and proclaim that

good times are always going to be hazardous to our health ...

but let's do what we can

to turn down the volume

and find some peace and quiet

in "Silent Night."

If we're careful with our time

in the days to come --

focusing more on activities

than on acquisitions --

we'll be able to arrive at Christmas

feeling some energy and expectation

instead of sheer exhaustion.

In fact, let this be a warning...

if you feel overwhelmed by the holiday...

well, you might want to rethink

how you do the holiday.

And we'll come to it

with the satisfaction of knowing that

we are celebrating the season

in a way consistent with our deepest beliefs,

having followed the peaceful paths

and the wonderful ways of the God of our salvation.

Sources:

Morin, Richard. "The Surprisingly Bad News About Good Times,"
The Washington Post, June 25, 2000, B5.