Once more we are preparing to celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. For many people, this celebration begins and ends with partying. For others, it has only to do with getting rid of certain material things and acquiring new ones. In order for us to get a proper understanding of what Christmas is really about, it might help if we stop a while and reflect on the person whose birth we celebrate at this time.
To begin, He was born in a trough from which animals were fed. His family was not known outside the city of Nazareth. We know very little about Joseph except that He was carpenter, a just and honourable man of the house and lineage of David. We do not know much about His mother, Mary. She probably belonged to the poor ones of Palestine, and we know that she was a very unlikely person to be the mother of the Christ. Her reaction to the message given to her by the angel, Gabriel would suggest this – “She was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be” (Luke 1: 20).
Jesus never travelled more than a few miles from his home town. He did not know about modern medicine or economics. In terms of possessions, he only had a tunic and some sandals. Those with whom He associated were simple people: fishermen, merchants, tax-collectors, and those whom society despised.
More than anyone else, the religious establishment was against Him. He was accused of being a rabble rouser. He was often misunderstood. He didn’t have many followers and very few people supported Him when the chips were down. Not many stayed with Him as He moved toward Golgotha where He was given a criminal’s death.
It is the birthday of this kind of man that we are now celebrating. According to the world’s standards, Jesus was a failure at age thirty-three years (33). According to the manner in which we judge success, Jesus never made it. Simeon, the prophet, predicted that the Messiah’s mission would be fulfilled but it would only be fulfilled with suffering, opposition, rebuke and scorn (Luke 2: 34ff).
Jesus never wrote a book. He never wrote a poem. Of all that he said and did, only a few things are contained in the four brief gospels. Yet in spite of all these limitations people from every part of the world are honouring him by celebrating His birth. His influence is more far-reaching and profound than all the parliaments that ever sat. More paintings, more books and more music have been created in honour of this Man, more than of any person that ever lived. In His name, the hungry are still fed, the naked are still clothed, the sick are still cared for, the lonely and those in prison are still visited and captives are still being released. If we listen very closely today, we can hear the voices of millions all over the world as they sing the immortal hymns of Christmas. If we need more proof about the impact which Jesus has had and continues to have on the lives of people, we can listen to saints, martyrs, and ordinary people as they relate how the inward presence of this one man has changed their lives.
Christmas, more than any other time of the year, makes us want to put into practice the principle by which Jesus lived and died – the principle of love. This principle of love, as taught and lived out by Jesus, is so powerful that it can reunite a broken family, re-unite a community and bring together the world as one. One writer expresses it in this way:
“Without this love, symbolised by Christmas, people lose their way and fight one another until death. When this love is absent, life gets twisted until people become cynical and bitter. Forget about this love and self becomes God. Deny it, and cast your lot with demons. Deny it and cast your lot with those who believe that someday there will be a final triumph of the demonic. Practise it not, and your name is Scrooge.”
The message of Christmas is very simple and yet profound. The message of Christmas is that God has humbled himself. The message of Christmas is that the Word has become flesh. God has become human. Heaven has come down to earth.
To celebrate a real Christmas is to see hope surfacing in a twisted humanity. It is to see salvation coming through the humble in spirit. It is to believe that the wonder of God’s love can be and is embodied in flesh. You and I are called, not just to celebrate this love but also to live it and to share it with all people.
A Blessed Christmas to you all!
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
