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| 2010 Papal Christmas Address |
On this first day of Christmas, while drinking coffee and waiting for my teenage children to wake up, I came across the following tweet from author Donald Miller: Watching the pomp of Christmas around the world. It's like we want to give Christ the entry He deserved but did not orchestrate for Himself.
I didn't watch the pomp of Christmas last night. I took part in it. The church I serve held three Christmas Eve worship services. We hosted over 800 people who came in their Christmas finery, excited to squeeze the service of Lessons & Carols into their traditional family celebrations.As one pastor I know recently said, "Singing Silent Night by candlelight is the highlight of the worship year."
The question I have is this: If Christ did not feel that it was necessary to come into the world amidst all pomp and aplomb, then why do we insist on celebrating his presence among us this way?
It's as if God appeared and said to humanity, "Look over here. Look at the poor family with no place to stay if you want to see me. Look over here at the miraculous ordinariness of a baby's birth if you want to know where I am. Be among the people who are being persecuted if you want to know my glory. Stand with the social outcasts if you want to see angels herald my arrival."
And we respond, "That's pretty cool God. You really are sneaky but we see you now. We prefer to make a big deal out of this because we don't want you sneaking up on us again." We stand in churches around the world and point at the manger as if we had just found Waldo.
But Christ left the manger a long time ago. Christ is spending this Christmas with the homeless. Christ is spending this Christmas with the forgotten veterans who gave their life and are still alive. Christ is having Christmas dinner with families that are so dysfunctional that they can hardly be in each other's presence for the entire evening. Christ is handing out gifts of strength and peace to widows and widowers, orphans and the recently divorced who struggle to make it through the holidays. Christ is spending this day with those who are receiving the news of a suicide or the sudden death of a family member or friend.
If you experience the Peace and wholeness of God in the pomp of Christmas that's great. I don't mean to belittle that experience. But next year instead of giving Christ the entry we think he deserves maybe we should be joining him in the places in this world that he has already quietly entered.
With a Peace of the Spirit
Kevin
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