On an earlier post, I offered some thoughts regarding Santa, this Season of Good Cheer, and our Savior. In one way it was a sentimental reflection.
Today, on Christmas, I offer some thoughts from a different angle.
When you come to Christmas, and Christianity, is it more a program, a philosophy, or a person for you?
By “program” I mean religion. When I say religion, I mean the practice of following a particular set of beliefs and pattern of worship. For many of us, especially if we were raised in a religion, this is what imprinted on us.
All the rules and rituals, all the mannerisms and bits to memorize. If you grew up like me, then you worked at it. The harder you work at anything, the more deeply engrained it becomes in you—especially religion.
Is that what Jesus coming at Christmas mostly reminds you of? All the rituals, the plays, the bits and pieces (many of which were beautiful)—is that Christmas for you?
Or is Christmas, that God came to earth, a key element of your philosophy? For many this is Christmas. As they look out upon the abyss of time and space, internally filled with conflict and questions, with joy and pain, they conclude all of this is either completely meaningless—or it possesses a meaning and joy beyond our comprehension. Christmas is God’s visible action that there is not only a plan, but that God is actively involved in putting the world right—is this Christmas for you?
Neither is bad. Please hear me. Neither is bad. Yet both will leave you wanting.
Religion, our attempt to climb up to God, fails. We will try our best. We will attempt to follow the program. Yet our humanity will emerge, and we will fall short. There may be brief moments of a sort of transcendental ecstasy, but these few sparse moments do poorly at bolstering the effort necessary to navigate life. In the end, human programs, religion, reach their limits.
Philosophy, our attempt to have a coherent system of thought that gives meaning not just to our world, but the entire universe through all space and time, will fail. While possibly intellectually satisfying, it is no balm for our wounds. Said bluntly, when you are in emotional or spiritual or physical pain, why that pain makes sense for the universe is of little comfort.
Which leaves us the babe in the manger—the person of Jesus. He left us no system of religion or system of thought. Rather, he filled-in, and filled-out, the narrative of the book he authored, the Bible.
A book largely of stories of people and God. People, some who followed and did pretty well, some who tried to follow and really struggled, and some who openly rejected God. In all, the constant is God inviting people to follow him and His constant presence with them—regardless of whether they followed or not.
Christmas, God come to earth, climbing down to earth, simultaneously disassembles the need for a system of religion while filling the universe with meaning.
It not that either a religion or a philosophy built around Jesus are inherently bad. No, in fact that are quite good—yet they are incomplete.
Running through the reports about Jesus in the Bible are threads. For those who’ve got all those philosophical questions he says, “Come and see”. For those who are simply worn out from their religion, and their life he says, “Come to me all who are weary”. For those looking for the way forward to live he says, “Come follow me”.
Christmas is an invitation to come to God by inviting Jesus into your heart.
Might today, for a moment, you sit, close your eyes, and invite him into your heart.