Why is today called 'Black Friday'?
The Daily Article
The Denison Forum
4.9 • 576 Ratings
🗓️ 23 November 2018
⏱️ 5 minutes
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Summary
Expressing thanks can be a powerful witness in a chaotic culture. Today's podcast explores biblical principles and practical wisdom from noted Christian leaders who invite us to a lifestyle of public gratitude. For more news discerned differently, or to receive the Daily Article via email, please visit denisonforum.org.
Transcript
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| 0:00.8 | Hi, I'm Jim Denison with Denison Forum, and this is the Daily article for Friday, November 23, 2018. |
| 0:07.7 | 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. |
| 0:16.9 | The truth is actually far different. According to the Oxford English Dictionary or OED, the most likely explanation is that Black Friday started out as a reference to terrible traffic conditions on this day. |
| 0:29.0 | Due to the influx of shoppers into city centers, congestion is worse than any other day of the year. |
| 0:34.2 | Early citations in the OED indicate that the term may have originated with police |
| 0:38.7 | officers and bus drivers who would have dreaded this challenging day. The use of the term apparently |
| 0:44.0 | started in Philadelphia, then spread to other parts of the country. Whether or not today is called |
| 0:49.5 | Black Friday because it's so hectic and congested, the term is appropriate. If today is like last |
| 0:55.4 | year's Black Friday, half of all Americans will be shopping this weekend. The consumeristic Christmas |
| 1:00.7 | season is upon us, and with it comes one of our best opportunities of the year to make a difference |
| 1:07.4 | for Jesus. My wife and I started unpacking Christmas decorations this week. |
| 1:12.6 | Most were made in China. |
| 1:14.2 | Janet wondered out loud what the Chinese must think of our chaotic, commercialized Christmas season. |
| 1:19.5 | We concluded that it probably doesn't draw them closer to Christianity. |
| 1:23.8 | The same may be true for many Americans. |
| 1:26.0 | The birth of Jesus is easily lost in the hustle and |
| 1:29.3 | bustle of what are now being called the winter holidays, but it doesn't have to be this way. |
| 1:34.7 | Surprisingly, the key to celebrating the coming holiday lies in the holiday we just concluded. |
| 1:41.0 | This Thanksgiving week, we focused on God's command in 1st Thessalonians 518 to give thanks |
| 1:46.5 | in all circumstances. Today, I'd like us to observe that we are called to give thanks, not just to |
| 1:52.4 | be thankful. The former is an action, the latter, an attitude. Tim Keller said, it's one thing to be |
| 1:59.9 | grateful. It's another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. |
... |
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