The Challenge of Christmas

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Christmas can be a challenging holiday for faithful Christians. It is at once the celebration of the present and future kingdom of God, as manifest in the birth of Jesus the Messiah and King. This concept of the Kingdom of God, being both now and in the future, is a difficult theological concept to grasp. Emmanuel – God with us – is a reality many of us struggle with. How can God’s Kingdom be realized both now and in the life to come? Where is God in the midst of economic crisis, job loss, poverty and war? Why isn’t God’s presence obvious when my friend has cancer or my family suffers grief? Isn’t God’s Kingdom about the reign of Christ as King? Then how come Jesus doesn’t take charge and fix everything?

John Dominic Crossan writes in God and Empire: “The Second Coming of Christ is not an event that we should expect to happen soon, violently, or literally. The Second Coming of Christ is what will happen when we Christians finally accept that the First Coming was the Only Coming and start to cooperate with its divine presence.” In other words, the Kingdom of God to which Jesus constantly pointed is as fully available now and always as it was 2,000 years ago. The question is whether we will choose to live as if the One in charge is God and not “Caesar.”

Now, I’m not sure I agree with Crossan’s lack of expectation for Christ’s return. However, he makes a valid point when he challenges us to accept the divine presence of God here and now. That is the once and future kingdom we celebrate – God came to earth in the Christ and remains here in the Spirit. The question is: Will we allow “God with us” to be in charge? Will we seek God’s counsel and ask for God’s advice about everything in our lives? Will we allow our faith to inform our decision-making? Will we bring Jesus into the midst of every conversation and consider His opinions?

God’s Kingdom cannot be realized if we resist God’s authority over all aspects of this world. We will never recognize God in the midst of life until we are willing to take “me” out of the center of everything and focus on God. I believe that, when we allow God to be in charge, we gain clarity of purpose and peace of mind. All at once the pressure of trying to control our circumstances is lifted as we let God do what God does best – control our circumstances.

It’s difficult sometimes to see through the cultural trappings of Christmas to the reality of Christ. It can be a challenge to ask God to take charge of our gift-giving habits. Taking “me” out of the center of self-centered and self-serving advertising that began in October isn’t as easy as it sounds. You may not think that God has an opinion on how we celebrate this holiday; I believe that God does have an opinion and that it is our obligation to seek it and prayerfully consider it as we go about the busy-ness that consumes us this time of year.

Christmas is indeed a joyous time of year for Christians and we have much to celebrate. But even the most joyous celebrations can be filled with solemn meaning and thought-provoking reality. I pray that the joy of the season will prompt a new depth of understanding of your personal relationship with the reason for the season. Our family wishes you the best of everything Christmas has to offer. Merry Christmas!

May “shalom,” God’s peace be with you,
Pastor Don