Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian: What Christmas Means In Today's World

“While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”                                                                                                                                                       Luke 2:6-14

What does Christmas mean in today’s world? This is indeed a difficult question to answer in a global sense, but perhaps answering that question from a Christian perspective might bring some illumination to all. Most simply put, the Christmas story is for us a message from God that we are not alone.

For the many Lamorindans who will attend Christmas Eve services this year, the story of Christ’s birth centers us in the “reason for the season.” The Christmas Season, or Holiday Season as it is named popularly, has become quite hectic and fast paced. In the midst of all the parties and activities and gift buying and giving it is easy to lose sight of the simple message of Christmas – that Jesus is “Immanuel” or “God is with us.” It reminds us that there is a center to the Christmas season and it is the story of how God has reached to us in love.

Even though we find this story to be a centering experience on Christmas Eve, we need to remember that the story of his birth is quite de-centering. By that I mean to say that the story of the birth of Jesus as described in Luke’s gospel takes the world that we normally experience and seeks to turn it upside down. We, no less than the people of Luke’s day, live in a world where people of power call the shots, and mighty nations vie for global influence, and if the world is going to be changed, it must come at the hands of the rich and powerful. We think Luke might be going down that path because he starts out with a focus on one of the most powerful and influential rulers the world as ever seen – Caesar Augustus. He was referred to as “the savior of the world” and the “good news for the whole world.” Surely if God is going to bring peace on Earth, it will be through someone like Caesar.

And yet after just a few verses, Augustus is passed over and Luke focuses our attention elsewhere. He tells us the story of two simple folk, Mary and Joseph, who lacked everything except the faith to believe that God could do something wonderful through them. Shepherds, who occupied one of the lowest rungs on the social and economic ladder of their day and were generally looked down upon, attend the birth of the child. To this couple, attended by these shepherds, the angels make their bold proclamation that this child will be the one through whom peace on Earth will finally come. It will not come through force or power, but it will be a gift made available to all people through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah.

We who receive the Christ child at his birth, and follow him to the cross, believe that through faith in him we are reconciled to God, embraced in love just as we are, and called to a new way of life. In a world that can and does leave us feeling isolated, cut off and alone, there is the promise that God knows and cares for us uniquely. Our highest calling is to love others, and serve those who are in need, following our master in the way that brings peace on Earth. This is what Luke wants us to see, and it is all possible not by the might of powerful rulers, but because we are willing to believe and humbly follow this child who was born as far outside the halls of power as can possibly be imagined.    

I know that this is a time of hope and promise for all people, and the significance of the Holiday Season has far expanded beyond the Christian celebration of Christmas, but our sense of what difference the Christmas message can make in the world today is still captured by the promise that we are not alone, and the hope that God can still work wonderfully in this world through those who receive Him.

May God’s grace and peace find you as we celebrate, once again, the birth of the Christ child.