From the Airdrie Baptist Newsletter 22 Dec 13
Where is the love?
‘Tis the season
to be jolly’ says the Christmas song. Our Christmas cards wish 'peace and
goodwill to all men' and yet you don't have to scratch too far beneath the
surface of the season to see conflict and strife do you?
Don't believe
me? Take a trip to the shops tomorrow!
A few weeks ago
punches were thrown as people tried to bag a bargain on Black Friday. I've not
seen anything quite so dramatic myself but it certainly seems people are becoming
less and less considerate as the pressures of the season continue to mount.
There are so many things to attend to; so many jobs to be done, presents to be
bought, parties to be planned if we're to have that 'perfect' Christmas... No
wonder we're all so stressed.
Christmas is a busy,
noisy, messy time of the year.
Bethlehem would
have been like that 2,000 years ago. Stressed and tired travellers had crammed
into the region to do their duty. The little room or stable where Christ was
born surrounded by animals looks very tranquil on our Christmas cards. We sing
'silent night, holy night' but I'm sure the animals would have been heard. And
smelled. Another famous carol has the line 'the little Lord Jesus, no crying he
makes.' Really? I doubt it.
No matter how
hard we try to sanitise it, the nativity story is full of sound and smell, it's
not shielded from the realities of life in this world. Actually that's exactly
what we celebrate at Christmas. God became a real human being, to experience
the terrible realities of life in this broken and sinful world. He came to live
his life for us, and to give his life for us.
God came right
into the middle of the mess, to live and die for us.
In the midst of
the noise and stress and strain there is love and joy to be found. It's to be
found in Jesus.
There can be no
perfect Christmas without him at the very centre.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Have a wonderful
Christmas
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