Luke 2:1-20, John 1:1-14, Isaiah 11:1-3, 6, Matthew 2:7-18
Christmas is about joy and happiness. It is about pretty decorations and lots of light. Right? That's not the way Charlie Brown feels, though, not at all. He feels the opposite, in fact. His dog Snoopy's decorations are ruining Charlie Brown's Christmas. And the commercially-infused happiness that the Christmas play is generating is... less than happy for Charlie Brown. That's because Charlie Brown can see beneath and behind and around and through the sugarplum-coated Christmas we all dream about. He knows that THAT celebration is surface only, and that there must be something more to this whole Christmas thing.
Maybe Charlie Brown senses that you can't have light without darkness. You can't know joy without sorrow. You can't birth a savior into a world that doesn't need saving. So even Linus with his dear and sweet rendition of Luke 2 on the Christmas play stage under the lights only actually hints at what Christmas is all about. Christmas is certainly, definitely, about the babe in the manger. Christmas is certainly, definitely about the mother in the barn, allowing God to work through her to produce this miracle of life that will one day save us all. Christmas is certainly, definitely about the angels ushering the good news of great joy to the shepherds who then rush to see this baby they have heard about. But that is only a part of what Christmas means when you come full circle.Christmas is a dark time. Herod is seeking to rid the world of infants who might be the coming Messiah. Terrorism in the form of infanticide is the rule of the day. Joseph and Mary are forced to flee, to hide, to protect the baby Jesus from the hands of Herod's kill machine. This is the Christmas that is not about parading children around with shiny new clothes and toys, but about hovering over and protecting children from the darkness and gloom that is out to get them.
The Wise Men became believers when they saw the infant. They bowed down to worship the Christ Child when they became aware of his glory and purpose. But they started off quite differently. As spies for Herod, checking out where this baby who was born "King of the Jews" was located. Herod has asked them to let him know where the child might be. He wants to rid the world of this potential threat to his own power. Fortunately, they were overcome by Jesus and amazed and transformed and so 'went home by another way,' but it could have been different.
On Christmas Eve, we will gather around our lovely sanctuary once more and sing Silent Night and light our Christmas candles, showing that the Child of Light has indeed come once again to save us. He always comes to us. Even in the darkest darkness, you can't make Jesus not arrive. Babies are born in their own way, in their own time, and it is almost never pretty or calm or serene. But yet, their arrival is ultimately perfect. Jesus arrives and the stars shout for joy. The angels sing and even gruff old shepherds melt and soften at his appearance. That is what we celebrate on Christmas Eve. The saving power of the baby in our arms. The potential to make Heaven on Earth come to us this year. The salvation that we have handed to us in a newborn package each Christmas.
But as the story rolls along, don't forget the darkness surrounding this light-filled birth. Don't forget the pain and the misery, the children who lost their lives, the corrupt power structure that destroyed families and wreaked havoc. Remember the light can only be seen in the darkness. In fact, when we find ourselves at our darkest, that is when we can best the light of Christ shine in our own lives. By speaking up for those who can't, by offering ourselves to a world in need, by reaching out when it feels uncomfortable and bridging the gaps we have created in our humanity.
How do you connect light to your own Christmas celebrations? Do you hang them on your houses? Your trees? Do you prefer clear or multi color? How do you move through the festive season of light when your soul feels dark? Do you reach to Jesus to save you? How do you reach out to others surrounded by darkness and shine a little light into their lives? What miracles can you be part of?
How does the baby in the manger affect your life? Does it make a difference for you in the way you celebrate the season to think of Jesus coming anew each year? Email me or comment below.
