Making Sense of Christmas

If you haven’t done so recently, I would encourage you to read the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-20). Jesus’ birth is the foundation for the holiday we call Christmas. Through the years, differing philosophies and marketing have all added to this foundation and the season we call Christmas hardly resembles the moment when it all began. Each year it seems the true meaning of Christmas becomes a little harder to find.

In Luke, however, we are told how it all began and there are some striking realities between then and now that are being lost in our current holiday frenzy. First, the Bible tells us that God announced the birth of Jesus to a group of shepherds located on an isolated hillside. What is up with that? If a person who has connections in heaven is being born on earth, then why wouldn’t there be an announcement made to a more astute audience? Why didn’t God send the birth announcement to the political leaders or the educators or at least the local paparazzi? Why shepherds?

Shepherds were a special breed of person in Jewish society. They were loners of sorts, but they were considered to be hardworking, dependable people who did not have time for tabloid headlines. If they said they saw angels then you could believe what they said. It was this no-nonsense attitude coupled with their humility that truly made them a special kind of person.

Who does God introduce Himself to in our world today? I think it is the same type of person. The person who pursues integrity and hard work, yet at the same time is humble enough to admit that they cannot be self-sufficient. Somehow this principle gets lost when celebrating Christmas in our current culture.

The next thing I notice is what the angels announce to the shepherds. It’s the same words and phrases that are found on common Christmas cards and banners: “And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,…Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.’”

What exactly is “good tidings of great joy?” A birth is not exactly high-powered, phenomenal stuff. What made this birth so special? The baby born in Bethlehem that night was not a soldier sent by God to conquer the bad guys of the world nor was He a politician sent to govern the world with equality. The baby was not educator sent to teach the less fortunate nor was he a rich philanthropist sent to provide funds to end hunger. The “good tidings of great joy” was that God had sent a Savior to forgive and redeem any person who would place their faith in Him.

When Jesus was born “Pax Romana” (Roman Peace) had been established for almost a decade. Yet, the angels announce “peace” will come through this child. Absence from war does not mean there is peace. Life when Jesus was born was hard. Taxes were high, unemployment was high, the government was imposing more and more demands upon its citizens and morals were slipping (Does any of this sound familiar?). The people of Jesus’ time had Greek philosophy, Roman rule and the Jewish religion and none of it was bringing peace to men’s hearts. Then God sent Jesus, the Prince of Peace. The shepherds understood the announcement and went to see what God had done.

Was it the shepherds who started the whole “running around” thing at Christmas time? Maybe so, but at least they knew who they were running to and what they were running for. Can we say the same?