Christmas is over and I hope it was merry for you in more than a few good ways. Perhaps by now you have rolled away from a table or two, full from heaping Christmas feasts. Maybe you have given gifts and have embraced those you love. Or, perhaps you’ve traveled far near and far reconnecting with family. Still others may have thanked co-workers, heard good stories, or sent Christmas cards. Even in the midst of the bustle of Christmas, you may have found a moment to be still, to sit with gratitude and wonder. Perhaps for a moment you had a chance to simply ‘be.’
At the heart of Christmas is something strange and wonderful. To many, this unlikely message of Christmas is hope-filled Good News. Christmas is about God coming near, moving into the neighbourhood, and joining the bustle and struggle of life with us. More than coming as a strong ruler of imposing authority, Jesus is celebrated as a baby born in humble surroundings, to simple people. Jesus came into the human story at ground level to be with us.
For two thousand years this story has formed our imaginations for what it means for us to be human. We have come to believe, through this story, that we have value even when we are still and small. Before we can do anything, we matter. Ryan Holiday writes that “man is not a beast of burden…the body that each of us has was a gift. Don’t work it to death. Don’t burn it out. Protect the gift.” For many who celebrate Christmas, this is a season to remember the gift we have been given, the gift that says we are human ‘be-ings,’ not a human ‘do-ings.’
Jesus would go on to show his followers that humans can do a great deal with the life they have. They can mend what is broken, love others in ways that shape the world, and work for good and beautiful causes with great success. Jesus did this in a way that was consistent with his birth, he turned to the weakest, to the outcast, and even to his enemies with love and surprised even his followers in doing so. People expected Jesus, with all his fame and influence, to have an upwardly mobile trajectory to greater power, even to be a king, ruler, or great prophet. But it is comforting at Christmas to be reminded that even God, in all God’s mystery, and creative strength and wonder, chose to honour our humanness by joining us in the midst of our stories, and remains close with us even now. The Christmas story welcomes everyone to pause and know that we are welcome as we are, still and simple, beloved and eternally valuable.
Merry Christmas to you as you emerge from this Christmas season. Wherever you are and in whatever you face, there is Good News, you are loved and your life matters. The place where you live and those around you matter, too. In the stillness of this season may you have a renewed sense of hope and love towards your neighbours and see afresh the goodness unfolding in you. Merry Christmas, and together we look forward to a very Happy New Year.
