Nativity scenes are lovely but I believe we need to get Jesus out the manager this Christmas.
Christmas is a BIG deal, in the west nothing gets bigger; shopping, eating, holidays, office parties, sending cards, mistletoe, pantomimes, snow, turkeys, elf on a shelf, Santa, cheesy films, carols and… oh yes baby Jesus.
Why do people worldwide and especially in the west still celebrate Christmas despite the minority actually being Christians?
Sure, it’s partly because it has been diluted to a ‘winter festival’, but also because babies are cute. There is nothing offensive about Jesus the baby of a nativity scene.
My ex-wife had a scruffy doll when she was a kid, which she called 'baby lord Jesus'. We used to laugh about this ugly battered toy with pen all over its face and how funny it was that she called her doll that. Even though her family were not particularly religious her parents probably thought it was cute and pretty humorous. Jesus in a manager is seen by kids all over the world, many will crowd around a doll in a manager dressed as kings, shepherds, farm animals and so on in some school production. We still have cards with the classic nativity scene Jesus looking cute or sometimes glowing like He's had brief encounter with some radioactive material.
The majority of the west, those who don’t follow Jesus, want to keep that image of Him.
The problem is that it is not a true representation of Jesus.
When we remember the birth of an great person in history, we don’t usually see images of them as a baby. We see images of them as adults normally doing something they stood for or what they did. We don’t see that much at the celebration of Jesus’ birthday.
The baby in a manger was limited by the confines of His humanity, He needed the protection and care of Mary and Joseph, He did little but cry, feed and well, 💩. This Jesus is a safe version. People feel easy around this Jesus, especially 'if no crying he makes..'.
However, this is not the Jesus that we as Christians are celebrating at Christmas. As the name suggest Christ (King) mass (ceremony/service) the day is for the celebration of a King. It is not the celebration of a baby in a manager as much as it is the man He grew up to be, the celebration of the God-Man and King. Jesus the man who changed history so much that billions celebrate His birth 2000 years later was far from safe!
As a baby I am sure He was a cute as any other, nevertheless, as King, ‘cute’, would certainly not come to mind. He was no people pleaser, He was far from politically correct, He was outspoken and made many enemies. He frustrated the religious, He tied the intellectuals in knots, He told rich people they would struggle to reach heaven, He hung out with the prostitutes and thieves, He touched the dirty, questioned those who thought they had authority to mention but a few things.
Obviously Jesus was a baby, so it is not wrong, but as amazing as the miraculous birth was it’s just the opening few lines of His earthly life. It is not the whole story nor even the most interesting part of His life and is far from a full representation. Jesus the man is sat at the right hand of the father (Mk 14:62)
‘But Christmas is about spreading love and peace’, a non christian might say…
This is true and it is great that people still associate these things with Christmas. Obviously western greed provides a major thrust at Christmas but it is not as bad as the cynical suggest. Most people still want to celebrate love, they want to be with family often driving hours to be together, they want to spread joy and bring peace to neighbours, people spend ages thinking about gifts they can buy for others and volunteering goes up as much as 40% during the season too.
Despite the fact most people celebrating Christmas are NOT Christians they do want to celebrate the love they associate with the season.
This gives us an opportunity to share who Jesus really is, not just the baby in the manager but the rest of the amazing story. Wonderfully people are often more open to the Gospel at Christmas.
When we show people who Jesus REALLY is, they will see, to quote one of my favourite films ‘love actually, that though ‘love is all around’ at Christmas it finds its most powerful representation not in people like me and you who can love, but in the one who IS love. This love motivated the greatest gift of all time, Jesus, that this baby given would grow not only to be the most profound teacher of history providing ways to live that bring freedom and life but also that He would eventually give His own life as an act of pure love. That He would endure torture and murder so that our own shortcomings, the rubbish we get up to on the other 364 days of the year, would be paid for and forgiven. This baby born is the same bloodied and broken man who paid the way for us to be reunited with God as family and have eternal life.
Christmas is not the celebration of a cutesy baby who posed with some farm animals and wise men for a great image for future chris cards. It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the man who heals the sick, frees slaves, comforts the hurting, confronts oppressors and gave His life so all can walk freely in the love of God as His sons and daughters.
So friends can I encourage you to get Jesus out of the manager in your conversations this Christmas, let us tell people who Love Actually is!
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, lots of love.
Joss
* 42% increase in volunteering rates over Christmas season according to data compiled by HandsOn Connect a volunteering management company in US
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