Recently I found myself listening to old Christmas carols,
many of which speak of the coming of our Lord, and as I did so all the cliché sayings
came to mind and I found myself asking, “What is the reason for the season,
Lord? Why is Christmas so important?”
As a child I had often wondered why Christmas was so widely
celebrated and why the festivities surrounding it seemed so much more important
than one of our other significant faith days: Easter. I often found myself
wrestling with the idea that Christmas is important because it leads us towards
Easter. Easter has always been my favourite holiday, and yet I wondered if really
the heart of Christmas could only found in its ties to the death of our Saviour
and redemption of all humankind. Or is there something more here, something
unique to its meaning and significance that makes it the most widely celebrated
holiday in both Christian and secular spheres?
Sometimes we have missed the mark. The anti-consumerists
have often told us this. It’s about being
with family and friends. It’s about spreading joy. It’s about peace. And oh, it is so much about all those
things, but I fear even the anti-consumerists have become too cynical and still
missed the point. All of those things seem secondary when we consider the real reason for Christmas; the reason
that we prepare for a single day with 4 weeks of anticipation.
Advent is this season of anticipation; our time of waiting.
In Latin, the word is Adventus means “arrival”
or “coming,” and it is in this word that we find the true meaning of Christmas.
Christmas is more
than just the insinuator of Easter; it is more than just the first step towards
the cross. Christmas in itself is about an arrival; an arrival of the greatest love
our world has ever known. Christmas is about God humbling Himself to become as one of
us; weak, feeble, vulnerable, physical... human. The God who is love came to earth. Christmas is
about God incarnate. It is about love
incarnate. Christmas is the beautiful story of a God who persistently pursues
the ones He loves.
Sitting in the reading room at my college a few weeks ago I
spoke this revelation aloud to a friend and though it sounded oh so cliché,
talking about “what Christmas is all about,” I remember my heart feeling different.
Because we all know that God loves us and draws us into a relationship with
Him, but do we ever associate this with Christmas? Love as the true meaning of
Christmas? Isn’t that better suited to St. Valentine’s Day? Joy, peace, harking
heralds and decking halls – isn’t that more what Christmas is all about? But
no, God shows us that it is absolutely all about love. By sending His Son He shows us that He will stop at nothing and
spare no embarrassment to demonstrate His love for us. This is what makes Christmas
such a joyous, peaceful and magical time. Tales of love always encompass these
things.
That Jesus was called “Immanuel, God with us,” is no small
thing. That God would make His home on earth as a tiny baby child is no negligible
event. That love became incarnate is a big deal, the biggest deal. It is huge.
It is enormous. It is possibly the most
important thing. Isn’t that why we celebrate Christmas with such cheery
grandeur? Yes, it leads us to Easter; of course it is a season of joy, of peace
and of generosity, but most of all it is a season of love. We spend time with
our families and give gifts and eat coma-inducing meals. But those who have no
families, or who have experienced deep hurts at the hands of loved ones; those
who are poor and oppressed and starving, even they can experience the true
meaning of Christmas. If Christmas is a season about the arrival of love then
it can still be celebrated amidst sorrow, amidst pain, amidst poverty and loss
because love transcends all of these. Love is what brings true joy and true
peace and what moves us towards generosity. That is why we give gifts. Yes, perhaps
the cynics are right and we have lost a bit of the essence of that. But it is my
belief that it is not the gifts themselves that are the problem, rather it is
the how and the why where we get a little lost.
And so maybe this Christmas, instead of getting caught up in
the usual holiday trimmings or getting hung up on taking a stand against our
cultures consumerism, let’s take a stand for love. May we aspire to become love
incarnate to those around us. May we forgive old offenses and pursue our
enemies with humble grace. May we offer hope for healing and unconditional thanksgiving.
May we not be cynical or bitter because generosity, the pursuit of love, joy,
peace, thanksgiving and providence: these are the reasons for the season. May
we remember the story of Jesus birth and what it means, and may we remember
that God pursued us while we were yet still His enemies and then be determined
to do the same.
This Christmas, may we pursue the love of all
humankind. ‘Tis the Season
