‘Christmas Time; Mistletoe and wine; Children Singing Christian rhyme; With logs on the fire and gifts on the tree, It’s time to rejoice in the good that we see’. So says the popular song that reverberates in the shops as we run around trying to get things ready for Christmas. At the risk of sounding like the Grinch, none of this has anything to do with Christmas. The last two hundred years has seen a build up of traditions and customs that are a substitute for anything to do with the birth of the saviour. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy many of these things, but let us not pretend that they have anything to do with celebrating the coming into the world of the only one who can give the world hope.
Behind the façade lies the truth that God became man in order to ‘raise the sons of earth’ and to give us ‘second birth’ (to quote Hark the Herald). That is a truth much more profound than seeing the good in things. The vacuous pretensions of celebration in the world are as nothing compared to the real celebration that accompanies the truth that God came and walked amongst us in the person of Jesus Christ.
So, enjoy the celebrations; enjoy time with family; but don’t forget the reason for the season.
God bless
Richard