Merry Christmas

I want to reflect today on God's presence with us.  We recognize that He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth as a man, but because He was God, He had the capacity to live a sinless life and therefore could be our perfect sacrifice. In Matthew 1, we read that an angel appeared to Joseph:
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

God with us - Immanuel. The incarnation. God in the flesh.  Through Him, we can have salvation - in Him, we have eternal life, and we can walk on this earth empowered by the Holy Spirit.  God has chosen us, in sinful flesh, to be inhabited by a sinless Savior.  He gave His life for us so that we might give of ourselves to follow Him and to humble ourselves in a spirit of service to those who need to encounter the love of Christ.

+++++

It helps, after all the packages have been unwrapped, the Christmas guests have departed, and you may be searching for some rest, to return to the centrality of the Christmas message, demonstrated in
Luke 2, beginning in verse 12:
12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

The Baby - God in the flesh, God with Us.  The angels - demonstrating how we are to worship God and to demonstrate His love.  Key elements of the Christmas story.

On Fridays, I like to take a look at evidence of God or spirituality in celebrity culture, and while you might regard the British monarchy as a political institution, it is certainly full of celebrity.  Interest in the "crown" has been reinforced by the Netflix series, The Crown, the seemingly picture-perfect marriage and family life of Prince William and Duchess Kate gets plenty of attention, and a new royal wedding on the horizon.

And, the Queen, well, she continues to head the Church of England.  It's a role that she apparently takes quite seriously, as expressed in her more recent Christmas messages, according to The Guardian.  Queen Elizabeth delivers an annual Christmas message, and this article says:

To the Queen, her annual broadcast is the time when she speaks to the nation without the government scripting it. But in recent years, it has also become something else: a declaration of her Christian faith. As Britain has become more secular, the Queen’s messages have followed the opposite trajectory.

The article contends that since the turn of the century, "her messages have taken on a different tone, with the Queen explaining her own personal faith – 'the anchor in my life', as she described it in 2014. In last year's message she said: “Billions of people now follow Christ’s teaching and find in him the guiding light for their lives. I am one of them because Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love, whoever does them and whatever they themselves believe.”

Why this has occurred is a matter of debate - the article includes speculation that the death of the Queen Mother could have produced that effect; it could have been the influence of Prince Philip, her husband, or former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey.  Or even the 2000th anniversary of Christ's birth.

Queen Elizabeth continued the outspokenness about Christianity in this year's message. According to The Guardian, she took the opportunity to recognize the victims of the attacks in Manchester and London, as well as the Grenfell Tower fire.  And, the article closes by saying:

The message ended as it had begun with a performance by the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and choir, and the Queen’s closing words, reflecting her faith: “It is Jesus Christ’s generous love and example which has inspired me through good times and bad.”

Truly a juxtaposition of Christian faith in light of the increased secularization in the U.K. 

Across the pond, as many have noticed, the President of the United States has been on a personal "Merry Christmas" crusade.  Although some have criticized Donald Trump for his emphasis on the phrase, he has continued to use it frequently.  In a Tweet, he claimed to have "led the charge" against an "assault" on the phrase:re

People are proud to be saying Merry Christmas again. I am proud to have led the charge against the assault of our cherished and beautiful phrase. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

That would be 5 exclamation points after the capitalized phrase!

Now, the phrase has not disappeared from culture, but there has been a perception for many years that saying "Merry Christmas" has gone out of vogue - the substitution of more generic greetings for "Merry Christmas" has been a sore subject for Christian shoppers, and there have been instances of the elimination of the phrase or even the word, "Christmas" in public life.  For whatever reason, this became a personal crusade for Trump.

According to CBS News, in the Christmas message delivered by President Donald and First Lady Melania Trump, he said:

"In the season of joy, we spend time with our families, we renew the bonds of love and goodwill between our citizens and most importantly we celebrate the miracle of Christmas. For Christians we remember the story of Jesus, Mary and Joseph that began more than 2,000 years ago. As the book of Isaiah tells us, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. This good news is the greatest Christmas gift of all, the reason for our joy and the true source of our hope."

While public figures tout the celebration of Christmas, believers in Christ have a higher standard in the way we respond to Christmas.  For He is our Savior, and He calls us to be models of His truth.  "Merry Christmas" is certainly more than a phrase, it is a way of life to which we are appointed.  And, celebrating Christ's birth is not just for 30 days or so between Thanksgiving and Christmas - it is for every day.

The true miracle of Christmas is the miracle of the Christ's resurrection and our new birth. Our Savior, once dead, is now alive - we, once dead in sin, are now alive in Christ!  Christmas speaks to us of a loving Heavenly Father, Who sent His Son to earth, so that we might come to know Him and that we would live for Him here and live with Him in heaven.

The Queen has said, "Christ’s example helps me see the value of doing small things with great love." The Trumps say, "we renew the bonds of love and goodwill."  In a world that needs to experience that good will of which the angels spoke in that field outside Bethlehem, we can be challenged to demonstrate what Christ's love in action really looks like.