Dear Trekker,
As I write early this morning, we are in the midst of Advent on the liturgical calendar. Advent, i.e. the literal meaning of the word, refers to the arrival of a notable person, thing or event. So we speak of Advent as anticipating Christmas and the birth of the “Christ child”… but that really makes little sense, to be blunt! (The birth of the Christ child has happened!) But you say, “We want to celebrate the event of 2,000 years ago.” Well, okay – how does one properly celebrate a historical event that happened 2,000 years ago?
Celebration of what God has ordained and done is where we are prone to go astray. Celebrations easily can exceed the significance of an event, or change it altogether. For example, take the Christmas tree! Here are poignant words of a personal mentor, Senate Chaplain, the late Dick Halverson, my former pastor as well in the 1970’s: “Millions of homes will be graced with its beauty, millions of families gather about its festooned branches, millions of children are filled with gaiety and excitement by its brilliance. But within two weeks, it will be relegated to the trash can; from beauty to ashes, from happy fireside to garbage truck, so it goes.” (Between Sundays, Zondervan Press, 1965.) A dead, cut tree is hardly a symbol of the living Christ…yet, it is often the center of attention at Christmas celebrations.
Was there a gift before Christmas? Indeed there was! Revelation 13 and I Peter 1 speak of the Christ being slain before the foundation of the world. Christmas, as we now know it, was so insignificant in comparison to the celebration of Easter and Pentecost, it didn’t “appear” on the church calendar until the 4th Century, and an arbitrary date (December 25) was set “for the birth of Jesus.” (Fact check it, trekker. Facts are stubborn things.)
The “gift” was the gift of grace given by God Himself! Man had disobeyed God’s life instructions (Genesis 3), but God took the initiative (grace) with our “parents” to bring us back into a “right” relationship with and for Him. This was/is Plan A before time began. When Jesus Christ from the cross exclaimed, “it is finished,” it was perhaps the culminating statement of all history! The Lamb of God, Jesus, slain before the foundation of the world, was actually slain-in-time, an event that preceded time. If you have trouble getting your arms around that, trekker, don’t worry; this is one of the greatest enigmas of history for all mankind.
What started me down this track this year was seeing again the futility of how we celebrate Christmas. The merriment, the hustle and bustle, the tired out and stressed out moms and their shopping, and baking and decorating and “you name it.” All to what end? Are we celebrating the God who redeemed us, or creating our own “Christmas God” among the halls of ivy? It is a long way from the Babe in the manger to the Cross of Calvary! But it is a lot longer way from Santa Claus and his reindeer to the God who so loved the world that He sent His only Son to redeem it! A priceless gift!
(It is about time in this month’s writing to insert a disclaimer. I am not on a binge to destroy modern day celebrations of Christmas. I only want to remind us that celebrations are not the real thing. The facts are the real thing! John 3:16 is the real thing. Let us never forget it or take it lightly.)
Dick Halverson nails it again: “One great dominant conviction emerges as the nostalgic promise of Christmas reflects against the back drop of convulsive human affairs: God’s eternal gift was not just the birth of a Babe in Bethlehem! It was that, but infinitely more; the birth of the Babe was only the beginning.”
As we approach Christmas, if we understand the Gift being given, we are faced with a clear choice. This is true because the nature of a gift is two-fold…the giving and the expected receiving. Both are elements of “gifting.” We can dabble in gift giving to each other; we can even give gifts as an expression of our love to emulate His! But, we still are required to accept or reject the Gift! Could there be anything more humiliating to a giver than to reject one’s gift out of hand? Insulting? Quite right! But the giver can only offer; he cannot force acceptance! God sets that pace.
“Behold I stand at the door and knock” (offering the gift) states Revelation 3:20. God is always knocking. It is ours to ask, seek, knock…and receive. And this is not a pretend game with God. This is life and death for us as people created by and for God. He gives the gift of redemption. Do we receive it or ignore it in silence, too distracted to even know what rejection is?
Make no mistake, trekker. God’s love, God’s gift of Himself, is the essence of Christmas. Celebration that does not strike this chord is hardly music to the ears. As we live out our faith in Christ, the understanding of God’s gift of Himself is the essence of Christian faith. What God gives to man, he (man) is supposed to receive and say by his life, “thank you!” Simple…yes!
As we soon enter a New Year, 2020, one of the good things about Christmas is the carryover. If Christmas seeks to introduce the greatest event of history – God becoming a mere mortal – this reminds me that real life and hope is not a one-time annual celebration. It is a life to be lived throughout the year. There is hope for change in 2020. Our faith is founded on fact; our hope for change into the likeness of Jesus is possible through the Gift of the Spirit.
Trekker, the unique, foundational element of Christmas is its relevancy to the other 364 days of the year. Faith/trust is practical. It works a lifetime! It is lived out in works of loving each other as Christ loves us. That is the real commentary as we close 2019. There is seemingly a lot of anger and hate in our country today. Oh, for a return of the true Christmas Spirit…”love, as I have loved you!” (John 13: 34, 35.) But that is for another writing! More to come!
Merry Christmas! Your friend,
Jim Meredith