Christmas time is here.
If any holiday has the potential to bring people together, it is Christmas.
That is because Christmas brings us a particular message. Christ was born to bring peace on earth and goodwill toward men. Yet, we live in a broken world. That fact is acknowledged by people of all stripes.
The religious and irreligious both see that there is a vast amount of evil in the world. We often find ourselves unable to fix the problems that plague us and the politicians who promise solutions do precious little to make a difference. This year has presented to us pains, sorrows and frustrations that far surpass the average winter of the modern age. It is easy to feel adrift in melancholy, filled with fears, or inflamed with anger about the troubles that we have experienced as a nation.
Despite all of this, we find ourselves filled with sentimentality in the bleakest of seasons in our year. In the middle of winter, we find that our neighbors are putting out lights that shine in the darkness. We find wreaths and evergreen trees that display life to us among all of the barren trees that surround us. We buy gifts to show those that we love affection, honor and gratitude. People rally together to provide gifts to children they don’t even know. Despite the coldness of winter, Christmas fills us with warmth and brotherly love.
There is a reason for the warmth that we feel. Despite the sufferings that we all deal with as humans, we see that God meets us where we are. While you will seldom find a man who is willing to walk in your shoes, we find a God who will. We may hear a message of despair from the scientists, the media, politicians, even some Christians; but we hear a message of hope and peace from the Bible. We celebrate the birth of Jesus, born to suffer in our place; we celebrate the birth of the one who came to reverse the curse.
It is easy to find ourselves tangled up in frustrations about the commercialization of Christmas, whether the holiday has pagan origins, whether someone says “X-mas,” and on the list goes. It is easy to be focused on the political turmoil, the civil unrest and the divisions among us.
Let us not be bound up by stress, anger or division. Let us not grow weary of feeling sentimental about the blessings of Christmas. Instead, let us look at our neighbors lights and remember that Christ came to bring light to the darkness. Let us look at the evergreen trees and remember that Christ came to bring life to the lifeless. Let us give and receive gifts, remembering that all we have received is a gift. As the old hymn says, “He came to make his blessings known, far as the curse is found.” May we join the mission of making them known.
Merry Christmas.
Jeremy Wiggins is a columnist for The Graham Star.