Dear Friends,
Most Christmas television specials are lying to you. I hate to say it, but it’s true. I mean, I love watching talking snowmen, and Dasher and
Dancer and “Ho Ho Ho!” and all, but behind all these fun things, there is a
fundamental lie.
The lie is this: there is some magical “Christmas Spirit” and
if you want your Christmas to go well, you have to possess it. Furthermore, to possess it, you have to sing
the right Christmas carols, you have to buy lots lights for your house, you
have to stop saying “Bah Humbug!” and you need to have snow falling outside
(just not on the sidewalks please!). Finally, and most importantly, you have to be
more concerned with giving than receiving.
One of the Christmas movies we see this idea of “Christmas
Spirit” idea most clearly is one of my favorites, the movie “Elf.” In the movie, Santa’s sleigh stops flying,
the Christmas “Spiritometer” is at empty.
If Santa doesn’t take off soon, the police will arrest him. So the main female character begins singing,
“You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry.”
Soon, the whole city of New York is singing, Santa’s sleigh flies again,
and everyone’s Christmas is saved.
But there is a fundamental Lutheran problem with “Christmas
Spirit.” It is always dependent upon us,
upon how we feel, upon what we do. The
Grinch needed to grow his heart three sizes to have the “Christmas
Spirit.” Shrek needed to realize his
family included all his annoying friends to have the “Christmas Spirit.” Rudolph needed to know he is a unique person,
and his friends needed to accept him for his uniqueness.
Law, law, law! Do you
see our Lutheran conundrum? All these
people had to do something to get the “Christmas Spirit.” If that’s really what Christmas is all about,
then Christmas is Law, and as Lutherans, we have learned in Catechism class,
that “the Law always accuses – it shows us our sin.”
Christmas isn’t about “fixing your attitude.” Christmas isn’t about Christmas spirit. It’s not even about the biggest half-truth
that we tell at this time of the year, “Tis better to give than to
receive.”
No, Christmas is not about any of these things. It’s about Christ, it’s about Jesus, born of
the virgin, made man. It’s about a gift,
yes, but not a gift we give, but a gift we first receive from God.
My very favorite Christmas television special is probably the
one that most clearly illustrates this point.
Charlie Brown feels down. He
doesn’t have the “Christmas spirit.” He
isn’t happy, he doesn’t have lights on his house. He doesn’t get Christmas cards. He doesn’t even enjoy leading the school
Christmas program.
Finally, pushed to the limit, and just sick and tired of all
the phony baloney, Charlie Brown shouts out, “Isn’t there anybody who knows
what Christmas is all about?”
Linus to the rescue, “And there were angels in the fields,
keeping watch over their flocks by night, And suddenly a great multitude of
angels appeared, and the glory of the Lord shown all around. And they said, “Unto you this day is born in
the city of David, a Savior, which is Jesus Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, you shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.”
Jesus. Savior. Immanuel.
That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
That baby is a gift to us.
That baby is really God in human flesh, sent to take away the sin of the
world. That same babe, who lies in a
wooden manger, will one day lie on a wooden cross, as nails are pounded through
His hands. He who is wrapped in
swaddling clothes will one day be stripped of all His clothes while He
dies. That babe is the gift that keeps
on giving, the One that sets us free from sin.
That message – the free gift of Jesus for your forgiveness,
life and salvation – can easily get lost in our world today. After all, Christmas shopping season begins
the day after Halloween. The kids all
want very specific toys, which are impossible to find in the stores. The television is full of annoying Target
ads, and radios with 85 million pop Christmas songs that you don’t want to
listen to. (I prefer the oldies
myself.)
But Christmas is really about Jesus. It really is a gift. One that is better to receive than any you
might give. It’s one that we share
together in the faith; it’s one that brings good tidings of great joy that
shall be for all people. It’s the best
Christmas gift you could ever receive, and it’s one that keeps on giving for
eternity.
So when you are stuck in a mile long checkout line, with kids
screaming, and visions of burning Christmas cookies dancing in your head, and
when your “Christmas spirit” is dreadfully lacking, you are forgiven by the
gift of Christmas. You are a child of
God, and will always be. You are
forgiven, in the blood of the lamb.
It won’t make snow fall outside your window, it won’t shrink
the lines, it won’t make your annoying family member suddenly nice. It certainly won’t make snowmen come
alive. But it does mean that you
will be alive, forever. It does mean you
have forgiveness. It does mean that
Jesus loves you. And not one of these
things is dependent upon you, or your “Christmas spirit.” It’s all dependent on Christ, born,
crucified, and risen. And that, dear
friends, is what Christmas is all about.
