One of my friends lost a beautiful niece just at a tender age and in the run-up to Christmas. A few days ago he posted, “Christmas is just 3 days away & I ain’t ever felt less Christmassy in my entire life.”
Another friend in a lighter mode, but not all that happy about the holiday observed, “Do we need to do this every year? The cards. The gift list. I barely made it.”
I get it. There are a lot of reasons to be there. Disappointments, losses, distractions, death, illness, noise, anger, and the social media feeding the rage machine . And there are just the demands of the season: cards, gifts, parties, decorations. They all erode the sense of magic at this time of year.
The feelings are real. It doesn’t help to explain them away. There is no reason to candy-coat them.
But, if we back away from the space where those things dominate. And we stop trying to feel Christmassy, we can hear Jesus remind us: Christmas is not about what we can feel and still less about what we can do. It is not about finding a special space.
Instead, Jesus tell us, “It is about what I am doing. And I am with you.”
John puts it this way:
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Why do we celebrate the birth of Christ every year? Precisely because our feelings are not enough.
Oh, it’s wonderful if they come along for the ride. It’s a treat to see the wonder of it all again, through the eyes of children. It’s real comfort and deep joy to share it with our families. Even the transformation of our homes is comforting – the warm glow of a Christmas tree, wreaths on the door. Sign me up.
But we also know that for a day or two, we have slipped away from all the things that have made it difficult to nurture those Christmassy feelings and that those distractions and disappointments will come rushing back.
John knew enough about human nature and Greek philosophy, he even cautions us that that we won’t get there by
- by blood – or ancestry,
- by the will of the flesh – or desire,
- or by the will of man – or our effort
So, if we truly understand the message of Christmas, we will depend — not on the feelings we may — or may not — have succeeded in recreating – but on the work of God on our behalf.
- The fact that Christ has come into the world.
- The fact that he has shared in our nature.
- The fact that he has confronted and broken the power of death.
- The fact that, as a result, he has given us “the power to become children of God”.
This friends, is what we celebrate this day.
Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash
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