Viewpoint: Shepherd’s Staff, Getting Christmas: it’s not about material things
12-27-2008By WILLIAM O. “BUD” REEVES
I am a student of language. I notice words, partly because I speak and write vocationally. It is always interesting to me how people use language and how the use of language is constantly changing.
Lately I have noticed that people have been talking about “getting Christmas” as an expression for purchasing presents. Sometimes they say they want to make sure someone “has Christmas,” meaning a person receives food and presents for Christmas Day. This is often the expression in connection to Angel Trees and other acts of compassion for the needy: “Make sure these children have Christmas.” Or, “We’re getting Christmas for this family.” I have heard parents say they are “buying Christmas” for their children.
I am not being a Scrooge. I applaud and encourage anything we can do to help the poor at Christmas or any other time of year. But it strikes me as odd to refer to the purchasing of food or presents as “getting Christmas.” Surely Christmas is not contained in anything material; it is a spiritual event. “Having Christmas” means more than receiving gifts. And to think that we can “buy Christmas” for anyone is absurd.
What does it mean to “get Christmas,” not in terms of material gratification, but in terms of understanding the spiritual import of the Nativity of Christ? Get this:
(1) God is with us. The birth of Jesus means that God the Almighty Creator became flesh in a newborn human. Matthew cited the prophecy of Isaiah in proclaiming, “All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’” He who made the human condition became one of us in order to redeem us. The Christ event is not a matter of a super-spiritual man developing his God-consciousness to teach the world. Jesus was God from the moment he was conceived in Mary’s womb. The pre-existent, eternal Creator became the creature. The Gospel of John gives witness: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” The Good News is, he never left. God is still with us.
(2) The birth of Christ calls us into community. What a strange community it was! Unmarried parents, assorted animals, the lowest of laborers (shepherds), the highest of society (magi) — all were drawn to this stable in Bethlehem. Jesus continued as a man to call all sorts of people, from Pharisees to publicans, to follow him. The early church was a motley crew of Jews, Greeks, women, merchants, and slaves. The church today is a worldwide mixture of nations, ages, races and economic conditions. The common thread is none of those things. What we have in common is Jesus — our love for him, our faith and hope in him. The church is not an affinity group; it is a community of faith. What that means is that Christianity is never done alone. It is a group enterprise. As fallible and frustrating as the church can be, it is still the Body of the Bethlehem Babe.
(3) There is a plan. God had Bethlehem in mind before he said, “Let there be light.” His entry into the world in human form was planned and executed by divine action. The result of the plan is the salvation of planet earth. The “Gospel in miniature” says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” The promise is for life abundant now and life glorious forever. The plan was set into motion in Bethlehem, but the star cast a shadow of the cross on the manger. It was not finished until Jesus said so on Calvary. Because the plan was accomplished, we can live with purpose, meaning, joy, hope, and peace no matter what our economic, political, or personal situation might be. We call this salvation.
Do you “get” Christmas? It’s not about the material things, though even the material things can give witness to the spiritual reality. Christmas is about a God who is with us, who calls us into community, and who gives us a plan to transcend the world he entered. If you get this, you will receive the blessing you need this Christmas. “Glory to God in the highest!”
1 Matthew 1:22-23.
2 John 1:1, 14.
3 According to Luke 2:5; Matthew 1:24 has them married.
4 John 3:16.
5 Luke 2:14.
[William O. “Bud” Reeves is senior pastor of First UMC, Hot Springs. He can be reached at brobud@fumchs.com.]
