The Church Of The Holy Rood -- Wool, Dorset, U.K.
|
The Church Of The Holy Rood -- Wool, Dorset, U.K.
|
|
|
Christmas - just a celebration of birth?
In a talk exploring what Christmas means for people today, Brian Walden, the former MP turned journalist and broadcaster once claimed: “… Christmas doesn't have any fundamental meaning for Christianity, unlike Easter. Christ's crucifixion, followed by his rising from the dead is central to Christian belief. … Christmas is just a celebration of birth.”
Walden is right about Easter, but wrong about Christmas. It’s true only Matthew and Luke record the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, whereas all four gospel writers document his death and resurrection. John’s gospel simply states “the Word became flesh and lived among us” and Mark plunges straight in to the start of the ministry of Jesus. But, if his birth tells us nothing important, would any of these writers have included it? God could simply have “beamed” Jesus down ready to get on with the job of saving the world like some kind of superman. But He didn’t. The reason is that his birth is more than just a means for getting Jesus onto the earth. Jesus’ birth embodies fundamental truths about our faith. It tells us that God identifies with us completely. It tells us He knows exactly what it is to be human, to feel pain and hunger, to know sorrow and joy, to experience loneliness and companionship. It tells us that He works, not by force but by making himself completely vulnerable whether as a baby in a manger or a man upon the cross. It tells us God gives Himself up for us. It tells us we can enter into a relationship with God. May you know the blessings of God coming among us as we celebrate all that this unique birth means for us this Christmas.
|
|
Send mail to the webmaster (see Contacts) with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
