Christmas Debrief by Leigh Wilson – Hewett Community Church of Christ

Christmas is over, and what difference has it made to us?

Angelus Silesius, the ancient poet, said, “Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, ‘if he’s not born in you, your soul is still forlorn”

What new life has been born in us this past Christmas? Can we learn to celebrate more meaningfully and more Scripturally by looking objectively at how we have done it in the past?

Every custom had its beginnings in a time and a place, so it is possible to begin new customs, more appropriate to our generation. The secular culture seems to love the cosiness of Christmas, and the sense of goodwill, almost as escapism from the reality of life, so that when Christmas is over, we go back to the same old everything. Paul warns us in Romans 12, not to let the world a squeeze us into its mould, yet we seem to forget this at Christmas, and go with the secular flow.

First, let’s be clear on what we are celebrating – it’s the birth of the Saviour, and that means that we must have the Manger, the virgin birth, etc. etc. (and we emphasise these almost to the point of idolatry). Yet aren’t these merely the vessels by which the truth of the first Christmas comes to us – i.e. “Emmanuel- God is with Us” That’s incarnation- God entering our situation, our lives, our time, our place. And for the original participants that meant inconvenience, interruptions to normality, re-location, and suffering as an integral part of God’s plan, and so much more that doesn’t often rate a mention.

In an interesting and thought-provoking article entitled “Behind the scene” in the Sunday Age of December 23, 2007 Cheryl Lawrie says ”by sanitising the Nativity we rob ourselves of the true promise, and relevance, of Christmas.” And she continues – “People are longing for an experience of putting themselves alongside Mary, of encountering the same hope that filled her being, the same moment of exquisite joy that changed a terrible situation into one where hope could be born.”

So, what does all this mean –

1.for our preaching and teaching? Rather than cover the Christmas story in broad-brush strokes, we could apply Michael Frost’s concept of “re-framing” (spelled out in his book, “Eyes Wide Open”). We could zoom in on one of the characters, e.g. Joseph, with his strength of character and devotion to both God and Mary. Or Mary, with her unquestioning devotion to God’s call, tinged with the note of suffering alluded to in Simeon’s prophecy, The various mentions of Mary in the Gospels also allude to the twin themes of joy and suffering in her life. As a valuable resource, “The Nativity Story”, now available on DVD, and the book based on the movie, bring these characters to life. Imaginatively and tenderly it describes the emotions experienced by Mary and Joseph as they live out their obedience to God’s call.

2) for our Christmas singing? We seem to be locked into the well-known, familiar carols, and there’s nothing wrong with familiarity, but what about all the new carols that have been written in recent years, and masy still be written by talented musicians in our congregations? How many of them do we learn, so that we can use them along with the tried and true? (which, after all, were new once!)

3) for our outreach? – drama is a powerful tool in getting a message across, and many folk have written contemporary Christmas dramas, plus the challenge to write your own, to use in the annual Carols’ programme.

4) for our Christmas spending? – if it is more blessed to give than to receive, shouldn’t believers be counter-cultural by concentrating their giving on the needy, whether at home (e.g. drought stricken farmers) or overseas (through various relief organisations) or at least matching the amount of their giving to friends and family with giving to these needs? Children can be kept occupied in the days before Christmas, by making Christmas decorations from the surfeit of junk mail (even before we drool over their contents!). Using simple paper-folding techniques, they could make sufficient decorations fro Church and home. And the savings would be sufficient to make a worthwhile contribution to an aid project!

5) for Christmas displays? – The many and varied Manger scenes focus on the historical aspect of Christmas, but how can we focus on the meaning in a contextual way? Leigh Newton’s “Christmas in the Scrub” and “Christmas in the Shed” and similar productions attempted to show the meaning of the incarnation in a setting we are more familiar with. Where are the artists who can come up with relevant displays for our Churches and for the gardens of Christian folk, to match the displays of colorful lights which are viewed by many families (and which may come unstuck with the emphasis on global warming!)?

Let our celebration of Christmas be a time for new resolves as we allow God to birth new life in us, so that we may be truly incarnational people.

Leigh Wilson is a retired Baptist pastor who is actively involved in the life of the Hewett Church he may be contacted by email – leighwilson07 [at] gmail.com