Sometimes I don't like Christmas

I thought that might get your attention. I actually love many things about Christmas - I love all the decorations, and the lights that bring a smile to my face in these cold, dark days of winter. I love the fact that it provides many opportunities for people to get together, to spend time with one another in community. And I love the fact that it gives me an excuse to sing and listen to Christmas carols - those familiar songs of my childhood, that bring back memories as the words so easily trip off my tongue, but yet contain truths that are timeless and impact me afresh each year.

And yet, there are so many people who don't like Christmas, and the more I think about it, the more I sympathise with them. Some people don't have families that they can celebrate with, or who they can enjoy spending time with (for a variety of reasons). And there is so much about our cultural "Christmas" that seems fake, fake like the Christmas trees that many of us have in our houses - they may look good for a season, but we all know they're not the real thing. We watch all of the adverts and the Christmas films, and the message seems to be one of "forced happiness". We can even talk about how we're 'not feeling Christmassy yet'; that is, if we're not feeling 'in the Christmas mood' (i.e. all excited, happy, joyful and all warm and fuzzy inside) there must be something wrong, and we need to re-evaluate our lives! The message seems to be that it doesn't matter what's really going on - just bury it, smile, and pretend that everything is ok even if it's not, just for a few days; reality can wait until January...

But I'm discovering the good news that this isn't the only message of Christmas. At Christmas, many of us also celebrate the time when Jesus was born. Jesus is the centre of the Christian faith, and there is a lot of historical evidence that Jesus was a real man who walked on this earth (a whole blog post in itself! I recommend this book for further reading on this topic.). Some people (me included) also believe that he was more just than a man - that the mystery of Christmas is that God came down to this earth and was born in Bethlehem; that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us in the flesh (crazy, right?!).

I love the reality in this story - that God didn't stay distant from us. He showed us that he isn't a God who just wants to put a band-aid on our brokeness, and force us to worship him with fake smiles on our faces. No. He is a God who entered into our reality; he didn't shy away from it, and he doesn't expect us to either. Yet he didn't just enter into the reality of our brokenness and pain, he also confronted it (and ultimately defeated it).And he does so still - God with us, Emmanuel...if we want to let him be.

There is a verse in the Bible where Jesus says: " Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Eating with someone implies a deep, real and meaningful connection. Yet, he doesn't force his way in, but simply offers us an invitation - it's up to us as to whether we accept or not. A few weeks ago I was at a conference where the keynote presentations were on mental health (understanding the concerns better, and knowing how to respond well in the context of being a youth worker). One of the most powerful moments for me, which has stayed strongly with me since, was when one of the speakers was talking about the struggles her daughter had gone through with an issue that had very serious implications for her health. When her daughter was at one of her lowest moments, she had gone to a Christian festival. In one of the main worship times, she had ended up lying face-down in the mud, wondering how she would ever have the strength to stand back up again. But then she had a vision of Jesus...he wasn't doing anything in particular, or saying anything in particular, but silently he came and laid face-down in the mud beside her. He then turned to her and said:"I'm ready when you are".

Jesus does that still; he doesn't ignore our reality, or just tell us to pull ourselves together, but he enters into it with us, and invites us to lean on his strength to help us get back up again, out of the mud. He is so gentle, and kind, and yet also has the power to back up the things he says. Through Jesus, it is possible for each one of us to have a living, and real connection with the God who made us and also loves us with an everlasting love. Celebrating the birth of Jesus gives us a real hope, one that doesn't ignore the facts, but is even more real than our circumstances, a hope that we can cling to whatever we may walk through on this earth.

I want to know this God more - not just in a "smile and say everything is fine, and say the right Christian words" way, but in an utterly real way, where I let my guard down (because I have learnt to trust him enough to do that); where I let God be present with me in my every moment, where I let him into all of my mess, believing that as I do so, that's when he can start to bring beauty out of the brokeness; bring order out of the chaos; and cause joy (real, deep and lasting joy) to fill my heart.

So if this speaks to you this Christmas season, know that our stories aren't over yet - there is so much that God wants to unfold in your life, if you will just let him! Ask him: "God, if this is really true, if you are really real, show me the reality of your goodness". What have you got to lose? At worst, you will feel a little foolish, and have a few less minutes of your life. At best, you will have a new connection with someone who can help you navigate life. I have started out on this journey...Won't you join me?

 

 

This is your invitation.

 

 

 

[Disclaimer: note that my intention with these sorts of posts is never to try to invalidate or disrespect what  any of you may believe. I am simply trying to give a voice to some of the journey that I have been walking, with the hope that in the process I may provide some encouragement and challenge to you also!].