“Black Friday” gets its name from the fact that today is the first day retailers will be “in the black” rather than “in the red.” Or so most people think.
The truth is far different. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the most likely explanation is that “Black Friday” started out as a reference to terrible traffic conditions on this day. Due to the influx of shoppers into city centers, congestion is worse than any other day of the year.
Early citations in the OED indicate that the term may have originated with police officers and bus drivers who would have dreaded this challenging day. The use of this term apparently started in Philadelphia, then spread to other parts of the country.
Whether or not today is called “Black Friday” because it is so hectic and congested, the term is appropriate. If today is like last year’s Black Friday, half of all Americans will be shopping this weekend. The consumeristic Christmas season is upon us.
And with it comes one of our best opportunities of the year to make a difference for Jesus.
What do the Chinese think of Christmas?
My wife and I started unpacking Christmas decorations this week. Most were made in China. Janet wondered out loud what the Chinese must think of our chaotic, commercialized Christmas season. We concluded that it probably doesn’t draw them closer to Christianity.
The same may be true for many Americans. The birth of Jesus is easily lost in the hustle and bustle of what are now being called the “Winter Holidays.” But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Surprisingly, the key to celebrating the coming holiday lies in the holiday we just concluded.
This Thanksgiving week, we’ve focused on God’s command to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Today, I’d like us to observe that we are called to “give thanks,” not just to “be grateful.” The former is an action, the latter an attitude.
Tim Keller: “It’s one…
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