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What kind of
excitement?
December 25, 2007
Christmas is such an exciting time. At least there is a lot of excitement
surrounding Christmas. Or if not excitement, lots of activity. Lots of things to
do, parties, shopping, lunches, dinners, shopping, bazaars, concerts, carols,
shopping, – even church services. And all mixed in with a variety of cultural
traditions that add colour and spice and sometimes confusion and bewilderment.
By contrast Easter is decidedly dull – a kind of brown chocolately colour maybe.
Part of the reason may be the Bible stories themselves. The birth of Jesus has
lots of amazing events surrounding it, angels – in blinding light and out in
force- dreams, messages from angels, strange travellers from far away, massacres
of little boys, prophecies coming true, old people saying strange things about
the baby.
By contrast Easter is described in a fairly bare way. Surprise yes. Confusion
certainly. Unbelief for sure. But no great prophecies or statements about what
it meant. Even the angels don’t give much more than travel directions.
And yet both events were astounding. Never before or since has a women given
birth to a child that did not have a human father (or at least his chromosomes).
The impact on Mary and Joseph on account of what everyone regarded as an
illegitimate birth must have been staggering. Especially when their explanation
defied everything that humans know about birth. Although other couples may have
since tried the same excuse none of them has been shown to be telling the truth.
And how do we know Mary was telling the truth? Did Jesus’ life, miracles and
teaching prove it? Not on their own. What gave credibility to the story of
Jesus’ birth was his resurrection. It also was a staggering unprecedented event.
In the thought world of Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Jews there was no belief
that people who are dead come back to take up a new life in their bodies.
Certainly there were beliefs that great people (like Emperors) became divine.
There were plenty of beliefs that some kind of life continued after death. But
no one believed that following that life after death there was a new life in a
body, and especially not before the great day of judgment.
The bodily resurrection of Jesus was completely unprecedented. Perhaps that is
why the writers just record the event. It did not need any immediate
explanation. It was completely mind blowing in itself.
So why is Christmas surrounded with more excitement? Because there was more
going on than a virgin birth. God himself had taken human flesh – in order to
save the race he loved. In fulfilment of promises he had made. That is certainly
exciting for those who believe it.
Dale
Comments
Despite being 50, I still love the wonder
of Christmas in a totally childlike way. Every Christmas I thank God that all
the parties, shopping, lunches, dinners, shopping, bazaars, concerts, carols,
shopping, and especially the seasonal church services (well, maybe not the
shopping, shopping or the shopping) only remind me of the purpose of it all; to
celebrate the arrival of our Savior. I feel terribly sad for those who only
appreciate the effect and not the cause. As in life itself, without Jesus, what
would be the point?
Posted by David on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 08:40:09
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