The Gifts of Christmas
By Albert B. Kelly
I don’t know if you’ve
noticed; but in recent years it’s become somewhat of a “no-no” to say “Merry
Christmas”. If I’m reading the culture correctly these days, we
Christmas-lovers are expected to substitute “Holiday Trees” for Christmas
Trees, “Winter break” for “Christmas break” and maybe even “Snow-person” for
“Snowman.
If this weren’t tough
enough, the whole Christmas holiday has been somewhat commercialized,
homogenized, and stripped down so much that people get stressed out about
gifts; what they’re to give and what they didn’t get, to the point that it
becomes a burdensome affair.
So sometimes, it helps to
slow down and dial everything back and remember what Christmas is really all
about. It is to be sure, a religious holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus
in the Christian faith. And while cultural or political correctness demands
that we sanitize our public life of any trace of religion, it is what it is and
no apologies are necessary.
For me, I recall the story
of Joseph, leading his pregnant wife Mary, to Bethlehem to be counted as part
of a massive throng of citizens trying to comply with the census of the day.
It’s doubtful that they saw their movements as anything special at the time;
just a concerned husband worried about his wife and the baby on a long and
uncertain journey.
Many are familiar with the
story; namely that there was no room at the inn or anywhere else for that
matter, once they arrived in Bethlehem. This young couple was forced to shelter
in a dirty smelly barn so that Mary could give birth to their first born,
Jesus.
If there’s a message here,
and I believe there are many, it’s all wrapped up in humility, hope, and new
beginnings. Not surprisingly, the thing has gotten twisted so that the focus
ends up being all about the giving of “gifts” to one another without much
regard for the reasons why.
Joseph and Mary took
shelter in a barn and if you believe that Jesus is who he claims to be; then
what does it say that he chose to enter history in the way that he did? It
tells me that he identifies not so much with the rich and powerful and popular
in the world; but with the unknown, the outsider, and the unnoticed.
And if you follow these
threads throughout his life, you will notice who and what he condemns and who
and what he doesn’t and without fail, his measure of success is never connected
with status, wealth, political power, celebrity, or any of the other things
that our culture tends to lust over.
It’s always about
character; qualities like humility, compassion, generosity, kindness and mercy.
There’s much more to Jesus’ birth and his death; but for now it’s enough that
we generally recognize these qualities when we see them and we know when we
don’t.
Perhaps more importantly
than knowing them when we see them, we know exactly when we need them. It’s
usually at our worst moments, not our best. We need them when we’re
heartbroken, when we’re guilty, when we’re vulnerable, marginalized,
discouraged or many other such things.
For me, the physical gifts
we give and receive are really just a symbol or a shadow for the real gifts; compassion,
generosity, kindness, and mercy. We certainly know when we need these gifts;
hopefully we’ll pay attention to when others need them from us.
If that’s your desire and
your measuring stick, at least part of the time, then chances are you’ll likely
recognize those opportunities when they come to you.
As we approach the
Christmas holiday, I hope you enjoy the material gifts you give and receive but
more than that, I hope you take time to remember the true gifts; compassion, humility,
mercy, kindness, and generosity.
It’s not always easy,
because the people who need these things the most usually have the hardest
circumstances to deal with, the deepest pain or the messiest lives and it’s
easier to look away and pretend we never notice.
Maybe that’s part of why
Jesus chose to pitch his earthly tent in a smelly dirty barn- without much
dignity or much of anything else- to help give us perspective and remind us of
the gifts that matter most. Here’s to wishing you a Merry Christmas.