Receive the gift of peace this Christmas
The time of preparing ends. Christmas is upon us. The appointed day to recognize the birth of Jesus arrives right on schedule, Dec. 25. Merry Christmas!
Songs of angel proclamation, shepherd discovery and birth in Bethlehem share the airwaves with Rudolph, Frosty and Santa. Christmas in America is a mix of traditions that stretch back thousands of years, with some modern additions. Whether a tree in your living room or gifts to unwrap, many practices claim this is the most wonderful time of the year, and a blanket of snow on the ground makes it even better.
It took several hundred years for the early church to designate Dec. 25 as Christmas, to mark the birth of Jesus. That there were “shepherds living in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8) would indicate that Jesus was likely born in the summer rather than winter. Shepherds didn’t live in the fields at night in the winter. But because dark days in the northern hemisphere are in winter, a date around the winter solstice was chosen to emphasize the coming of light into the world, and practices from the already popular solstice and Saturn festivals were co-opted and Christianized, such as gift-giving.
But co-opting works both ways. Coca-Cola popularized the modern Santa Claus as a chubby, red-dressed, white-bearded man. The actual historical roots go back to Saint Nicolas, a Roman Catholic Cardinal (thus the red suit) who gave gifts to children who were poor. Many people have an image of God very similar to Santa Claus. God is always watching, keeping track of whether you are naughty or nice, and your behavior determines your reward or punishment.
But why was Jesus born? What is it that lay beneath the complex mix of historical, religious and cultural traditions of Christmas that is dependable? In John 18:37, Jesus gives a statement as he’s questioned by Pilate, the regional, Roman governor of the occupying force. “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
To testify means to show, make evident or demonstrate. But what is it that Jesus is showing, or embodying as truth? What is it that makes Christmas so important, vital and transformative? The Scottish priest, theologian and Franciscan friar John Duns Scotus says it well: “God did not come to fix what was broken, God came to be with what was valuable.”
Jesus shows us what we have forgotten about ourselves, others and the world. The truth of God’s love is made evident as Jesus is born into a Christ-soaked world. From the vast origins of the cosmos in deep time, to the warm lining of a manger holding the baby Jesus, love is the framework of reality holding all things together in Christ. May we open the ears of our hearts to listen to the voice of love and receive the gift of the Prince of Peace. Merry Christmas!
Andy Kennaly, MDiv., is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint. The church can be found online at fpcsandpoint.org.