December 13, 2007

Extravagance

The other day I was driving down some of the old country lanes in Cooke County. These were some gravel and dirt roads that I had never been on before and it was fun to explore them. Unlike many of the "country places" that one sees in that part of North Texas these days, these homes and trailer houses were very modest, and many of them were run down. And yet I was struck by the fact that many of them were decorated with outside Christmas lights and ornaments. One or two places were truly extravagant given the circumstances.

In our neighborhood there are some fantastic outdoor Christmas displays. Occasionally I have seen whole crews of young men working to decorate a yard and house. Sometimes I'll load the family into the car and drive down to Highland Park and other prime areas of Dallas just to see the phenomenal Christmas decorations. If you have ever done this, you know that sometimes there are real traffic jams as cars line up to see the most extravagant homes. I'm not sure what it is about us, but we love these displays and I'm sure that those who go to so much time and expense to put them up are gratified by the cars that slow down to appreciate them.

All of this got me to thinking about those modest little homes on the country roads of Cooke County. Those roads are so isolated that they are rarely traveled by anyone except the people who live there and the occasional garbage truck or county maintenance crew. Why do they go to so much trouble to decorate when, for the most part, no one else will see or appreciate their displays?

I don't yet have this season fully figured out. But I do know that it brims with mystery and love and music and fantasy. And I know that there is something about it which embraces a touch of irrationality: we buy extravagantly expensive perfume for a loved one or a rocking horse for a grandchild that is not yet old enough to ride it. Could it be that, somewhere deep within our souls, we really are a bit like those wise men of old? Maybe we really do understand that God's extravagant gift of Jesus calls forth from us a bit of irrational extravagance as well.