Christian Today spoke to Operation Noah’s Campaign Strategist Mark Dowd to find out more.
CT: What exactly is it that you want people to reclaim their Christmas from?
MD: If you compare the simplicity of the nativity story – which is about the humility and modest surroundings of a young child born in a stable – with the mad pressure to spend money which we now have, I think the focus is about reclaiming Christmas from the power of the advertising industry.
There is a potentially pernicious message that somehow you are incomplete and unfulfilled as a human being if you don’t have a checklist of certain goods available in your Christmas stocking either for your own personal possession or to give to other people. I just think that’s completely out of kilter with the spirit of the season.
It’s not really a question of saying that giving is wrong. Absolutely not. Presents are at the heart of the Christmas message. If you think of the visit of the three wise men, they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. What’s interesting about the Christmas story is that they respond to their desire to go and visit the child of Jesus because of majesty and awe. They see a star shining. They don’t do it in response to great big bill boards on our high street saying spend, spend, spend!
So much of the pressure to consume and buy ends up having a lot of environmental consequences. Because of the huge amount of waste that we create – it’s something like eight London buses full of wrapping paper that we will throw out.
What we’ve been doing with the campaign is saying: don’t stop giving to people but is there any way you can do this by making presents yourself with friends and family and giving them away to people? You get more fun out of it through the creative process of doing things by yourself and there is also the personal touch of being able to say that this present was made for you with my own hands. It doesn’t have a great big ‘made in China’ sticker on it.
CT: Do you think as Christians we are also a bit guilty of Christmastime excess?
MD: Advent is a time of waiting. I remember several years ago the parish priest in the church I went to getting absolutely irate in the first week of Advent, saying we are not putting the baby Jesus in the crib on the 30th of November. We have to wait until Chirstmas Eve because we are waiting for Jesus and Jesus doesn’t come on the first week of Advent!
I think the Christian tradition of Advent is a really good counter-cultural witness to the society we live in because everyone lives in an ‘I want it now’ world. We have a very short attention span, we want things instantly, and the whole point of Advent is that you savour it and reflect on it and have anticipation.
John the Baptist wandering around preparing the way for the Lord wasn’t saying that it was going to happen in the next few seconds. He was saying the Kingdom of God is upon us but we have to wait and savour it, it’s coming.
