A Christmas missive

I wrote the following last year around this time - some of you may have read it then. If you are like me, you need to read it again.

Have we lost the true meaning of Christmas?

It’s a question that haunts many of us at this time of year. Sometimes it’s voiced in conversation, sometimes it just dances around the edges of jingle bells and whispers on silent nights. We clamor for the latest gadget, get stuck in mall traffic that rivals any urban rush hour, and stuff ourselves with treats, knowing we’ll need to loosen the belt a notch in a day or two. For some of us, Christmas brings tension and pain, opening old wounds and stirring up family conflicts that bear no hint of peace on earth or goodwill towards men. Christmas seems to have become a tribute to materialism, impatience, gluttony and stress, rather than a celebration of the birth of Christ.

Have we lost the true meaning of Christmas?

Much of what consumes us at this time of year, what provokes that nagging question, stems from a heartfelt desire to create a perfect, peaceful holiday. We should find the right gift for everyone on our list, holiday parties should go off without a hitch, the cookies should never be burnt, and we should do whatever it takes to avoid family drama. But for Mary and Joseph, the night their son was born was far from perfect and peaceful, and had this been a perfect, peaceful world, he wouldn’t have even been born.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

These words, spoken by John the Baptist, tell me that we haven’t lost the true meaning of Christmas. The 21st Century American celebration of this sacred holiday simply reminds us of how much sin this world has for the Lamb to take away. Our pursuit of perfection, as well as our human reactions to imperfection, tend to distract us from rejoicing in the Christ child’s birth. However, that does not mean that the things that threaten to steal our joy and rearrange our priorities at Christmastime should be ignored. Instead, acknowledging them should be part of our very motivation for rejoicing.

We celebrate not just because Jesus came; we celebrate because of why he came: to take away the sin of the world. My own sin has been on my mind more often than usual lately – some of it hidden under shiny bows and wrapping paper, and some of it looming in front of me like a pile of neglected dishes the day after the office Christmas party. As I wrestle with pride, impatience, judgment, and worry, I see now how desperately I need the One whose birth we celebrate on Christmas day. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh pale in comparison to the gifts that were born along with Him: grace, forgiveness, hope, life. I am reminded anew of the joy of his birth into my own life, and I discover that I need to receive those gifts from him again – today, on Christmas day and every day.

Throughout our celebration of Christmas, in both the worldly and the sacred, may we be reminded of its true meaning: Christ, our Savior, is born. Emmanuel, God with us, comes ready to tear open the flashy wrapping and deal with what’s inside, to plunge his hands into the water and scrub, scrub, scrub, until our sins are washed away.

I wish you joy this Christmas – not just the happiness that comes from unwrapping presents or being surrounded by loved ones – but the deep, enduring joy that comes from recognizing that you are in need of a Savior, and that Savior was born on Christmas Day.