Christmas 2009
Merry Christmas! The cry goes out all around us these days. Merry Christmas, or if you want
to be more politically correct, Happy Holidays.
Truth is that much of the time, I don´t feel either Merry or Happy. Christmas can often be a
time of hurt and pain, usually because of what we have lost as we live out our lives. The
stresses of the world do not disappear at Christmas and for many, the incessant greetings
are barbs that grate on the soul. Some years ago, Florajean´s mother, my mother in law died
and was buried on Dec 22. The next year her father died just after Christmas, and we had to
wonder, would Christmas ever be the same? Would we join once again in the joy, without the
hurt and pain that it reminded us of?
Christmas is for children, or so the marketing line used to say. Your child will not be happy
without this toy, this trinket, make Christmas special this year, buy this product and your life
will change. How sad that for many, nothing has changed. We are told that if we buy lap tops,
or computer games or whatever, then the spirit of Christmas will overflow into our lives and
all will be well. Bah and Humbug!
There are some things, some hurts, that no amount of buying or pretending can overcome.
Illness, pain, the death of loved ones, sometimes financial ruin or family breakdown, these
hurts can last a lifetime, and no glib Christmas greetings will overcome. What then do we do
with Christmas? Do we leave it for the Children, and retreat into our own little world?
Truth is, Christmas has never been about children. Yes, children should be part of the story,
and nothing will take the place of the excitement of Christmas morning, but Christmas is
about the adult, the one who is weary and heavy laden, the one who struggles with the hurts
of the world, whose prayer is often, "Lord help me to survive another day".
Florajean´s mom was buried from a church decorated for Christmas. Just as today, trees,
candles, bows, special hangings, the excitement of Christmas pressing in, while the
extended family gathered in hurt and pain, weighed down by sudden death. What is the
power of Christmas in the midst of that?
(2)
Can you imagine a time with no electricity, no running water, barely enough meagre food to
eat, no significant health care systems or flu shots, with foreign soldiers parading in the
streets and little aid if anything went wrong. Jesus was born after a journey on foot from
Barrie to Toronto. There was no tree, there were no presents, but the family did find a stable
and clean straw. The joy and excitement that poured into a troubled world that day, had
nothing to do with the latest fad, and everything to do with the fact that we are loved by God.
The promise of Christmas, the promise of Christ Jesus, is that we are not alone. That the
hurts and pains of life are shared by a living God who entered into the world that we might
have life and that abundant. That we can still celebrate, not because all of our dreams and
wants, or even needs in life have been answered, but because we know that we can trust
ourselves and our loved ones into God´s care, and he will never let us down.
Malls and Churches, both decorate for Christmas! The secular world needs us to shop and
buy, and dresses up for the festive season. We can pretend for a time, as we wander through this facade, that all is right with the world, and yet what hope is there in the next
purchase, and indeed, the Valentine decorations appear almost before the trees have been
taken down, because there is little of true hope and value to be found here.
The church decorates for Christmas, images of the manger, the star in the sky, the wise men
searching for the Christ child. Each decoration, each flower, each symbol speaks of the faith
of the community, held nor for months, but for centuries. Worshippers who share joys and
hurts through a lifetime, and then gather to give thanks for the hope that springs through the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We gather, not as those who have everything, for
whom all things have gone well, but rather as those who time and again fail when left to our own resources, the strength of our own right arm, and who gather to lay our burdens down at
the foot of the cross.
Join us as we are surrounded by the faith and confidence of fellow believers. Join us as we
stand in the presence of so many through the ages who have trusted their lives into the
hands of the living God. Join us, as our praises tell the story of a Babe in the Manger, and
our hearts are enfolded in his love.
Merry Christmas! Jesus has come! Merry Christmas! We have reason for hope for the future.
Merry Christmas! We are loved of God.
God Bless
The Rev John Phillips
