Truth be told I am tired and super grumpy and not feeling at all spiritual or that I have any pearls of wisdom to offer. I find Christmas a bit mad and stressful - and as the day gets closer the list of things to do just seems to stretch out ridiculously and impossibly. Work is busy, Ive got five people coming for lunch on Saturday and the house is a tip. The boys are all tired and ready for a holiday and tempers flare from time to time. I cant remember who Ive forgotten to christmas shop for. I think I shall just hibernate till the spring time.
A friend of mine was talking about all the nonsense in the run up to Christmas the other day. And she pointed out that nowhere in the Bible are we told to remember and commemorate the birth of Jesus. The only thing He asks us to remember is his death and resurrection. Christmas is in essence a pagan festival which was appropriated by the church - and doesnt God make it clear in the Old Testament that we are not to do that? So maybe this whole Christmas caper is a deception and a clever ruse of the enemy to take our eyes off the prize? What if God is holding His head in His hands at this time of year every year, heartbroken because we are celebrating Christmas?
And then there are all the traditions and beliefs we are perpetuating for our children. Are we ' buying into' a commercial nightmare of greed and entitlement and selling it to our kids as something Godly?? I know families who dont ' do' Santa with their kids because they believe Santa is a lie and lying to our kids is not good. It is tricky isnt it? I dont think any Christian parent feels entirely happy about Santa. But is banning him really a helpful alternative??
Here's my take on it all
Winter is coming. Life is stressful. The future is uncertain. I need a Saviour. I need to be loved and cared for and protected and provided for by One who is bigger and wiser and more powerful than me. At the end of another year the thing which might give me focus and hope for the year to come is the thought that 2000 years ago a Saviour came. The most important thing about His coming was indeed His death and resurrection - and Advent is as much about His coming back again as it is about his nativity. We all know that He wasn't born on Dec 25th. We know that Christmas has turned into a ridiculous jamboree, We know that it can all be a distraction from Jesus. But at the end of the day, if we didnt celebrate Christmas I would probably rarely stop to ponder the birth of Jesus. I think about his death and resurrection often. Every time I take communion for a start, but I dont think about His birth much. Except for at Christmas time. The challenge of the church is to make Easter every bit as important to the world as Christmas is. In fact, there must surely be a day coming soon when Easter becomes the main festival of our year. Because so many people will be born again and in the kingdom, that spirituality will tip the balance over commercialism. Roll on that day.
In the meantime I write my blog to try to keep my grumpy tired mind focused on something of Jesus for at least part of every day. I ponder on my need for Him, His kindness to me and His overarching plan for the world. It makes me thankful, and in that spirit of thankfulness I think I am better prepared to face the insanity which is this time of year. On Christmas Eve we make a birthday cake for Jesus and on Christmas Day we sing Him Happy Birthday ( naff I know but it helps us just to remember what it is really all about) And I tell my children all the time that they are blessed and not entitled and that everything they have is a gift from a Good Good Father.
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