Jesus asks the people gathered around him, “When you went out to hear John the Baptizer “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?”
This is an important question for us as we approach Christmas: What are we seeking in celebrating Christ’s birth? Are we simply hoping for the magic of Christmas, like maybe you felt when you were a kid? Is Christmas for you about sharing gifts with family, songs and carols of the season playing all day, capped with a wonderful dinner? Or is there more to it for you?
A number of years ago, I had a fascinating conversation with a woman who was a member of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). Many COGIC churches do not celebrate Christmas as they don’t see any rationale for it in the Scriptures and they view it as being wrapped in pagan rituals. To be clear, COGIC does believe in the Trinity, the virgin birth, and the incarnation. They just don’t do Christmas.
I was quite surprised by this and asked her many follow-up questions, like:
- What do you do to recognize the birth of Jesus? If so, when, how?
- Do you recognize the season of Advent?
- Do you sing any Christmas carols? Do you wish you could share in it?
I didn’t even bother to ask about the practice of giving gifts.
She said that since she has never recognized Christmas, she doesn’t miss what she never experienced. She observes all the stress and expense people go through at this time of year and are pretty happy not to have to deal with it. Basically, her church accepts all the significance of Jesus’ presence without all the “drama.”
I have always loved this time of year, particularly the season of Advent, the time of preparation. Yes, it bothers me that Jesus’ birth is being used by businesses to make a profit, but I try to tune out the crassness as much as I can. I also need to admit that, for me, Christmas Day has been somewhat bittersweet. The day is fun, but afterwards there is nothing to look forward to… at least until Lent, which is not quite the same.
So I ask again, “What are we seeking in the celebration of Christ’s birth?” This is something each of us needs to answer for ourselves.
Gracious God,
Help us to tune out all the distractions and noise of these days, and focus on the pure joy of your coming into the world as one of us. Amen.
