I am something of a Christmas humbug. That is, if you count things like Christmas decorations, presents, and the like. I don’t buy a tree, put up lights, or do any decorating at all, other than an annual poinsettia. I may buy a few presents for family and friends. In other words, my Christmas celebration is sparse and haphazard.
But I can’t not celebrate Christmas at all. I appreciate this time of year for the opportunity it gives us to remember and meditate on the incarnation—the “en-fleshedness”—the stunning miracle of the Son of God taking on human form and walking among us, in order to reveal God to us.
Yes, I know Jesus wasn’t born on the 25th of December; most likely, he was born in the spring. And yes, I know that all the cultural trappings of Christmas—the lights, the presents, the schmaltzy music, the feasts—have nothing whatever to do with Jesus.
Nonetheless, this is a time of year when most of the world stills and focuses, and whether they know it or not, pays homage to the Son of God born as a human baby to a Jewish peasant woman.
Because his coming made all the difference. It marks a Before and After, a radical shift in human history which we actually name B.C.—Before Christ—and A.D.—Anno Domini, or Year of our Lord. Although those designations have been erased lately in favour of the bland “BCE” and “CE”—Before the Common Era and Common Era (which I always mentally transubstantiate to “Christ’s Era”)—the fact remains that we are still dividing history into a Before and After, split like a tree trunk by a lightning strike at the coming of Christ.
It is important to have a time to meditate on this awesome fact. And Christmas gives us just that time.
This is why secular people would prefer to erase the origins of the day, opting for “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” and singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” instead of “Joy to the world, the Lord is come”. For those who would prefer to live as they please rather than under the reign of the God-Man King, any reminder of the establishment of his rule on earth must be ignored.
Because as he told us, he’ll be coming again, this time not to split history in two, but to end it. This time, his coming won’t be for salvation, but for judgement of those who rejected his offer of salvation the first time around.
Right now, the window is still open. We’re still in the in-between period of history, when Christ has inaugurated his kingdom but not finalized it. We’re still in the era of opportunity, when Christ the Son of God in human flesh makes his appeal to the world: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)
I hope and pray for all my readers who haven’t yet made that leap, who haven’t yet put themselves “on the right side of history” in the true sense, that this Christmas would be the time when Jesus comes into focus for you, you see him clearly for who he is and receive the salvation he offers you.
For those who have come to that point and who walk with him, however imperfectly, I wish you the joy of remembering your Saviour’s birthday.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Merry Christmas. May the Lord richly bless you and give you peace.
Beautiful! Thank you. I'm in total agreement with what you said, except that I do a bit of decorating. The focus of my decorating is now the nativity sets I have from various countries, several of which I purchased in those countries. I'm not a fan of "Christmas sermons," or for that matter, "Mother's Day" or "Father's Day sermons. " Just preach from the Bible. The expectations for Christmas are so huge that I'm relieved when it's over, and that is sad. For some reason, this Christmas has so far been more meaningful than at some times in the past. I suppose it's all dependent on my focus and determination to remember that it's all about Jesus. Merry Christmas to you!