A disappointing Christmas

I tore the Christmas paper off the big box, then eagerly lifted off the lid. A tartan-patterned dressing-gown. I can still remember the name on the label: McGregor. I was, however, disappointed. I opened a second present; it was heavy. A thick Collins Dictionary complete with colour photographs (quite a thing in those days, for this was 60 years ago). I was disappointed. Such presents fell short of the Corgi car transporter or maybe even the train set I’d been hoping for. The only decent present I had, so it seemed to me, was the Dandy Annual from Aunty Dorothy! It may sound like I was an ungrateful child but I was still only an immature 10-year-old and didn’t want to know about practical Christmas presents from Mom and Dad.

Do you realise that the Christian message, which Christmas is tied into, is about the God of the universe coming to earth on a mission? God, the originator of all things, chose to enter into his creation as a human being. This human being goes by the name of Jesus. This is what Christians focus on at Christmas. But why Would God come to us as man?

‘The name Jesus’ actually means ‘God saves’. A verse in the biblical account of the Christmas story explains ‘He will save his people from their sins’.

‘Save us from our sins’ may sound foreign to our modern ears. Look at it like this: it’s not rocket science to grasp that something is amiss with the world in which we live. War, political wrangling, human trafficking, child abuse, racism, family breakdown, earthquakes, hurricanes, famine, and COVID-19. They each speak of an amazing world which somehow is out of sync.

Now it may not be my fault personally that floods occur nor yours that hurricanes cause devastation. Nevertheless, we all participate in much that is wrong in the world. I know that if the world was as it ought to be and I took up residence there, then I would, by my thoughts, words and actions, put it out of sync quite quickly and I would incur the anger of the ruler of such a lovely place. True, I’m not as bad as I could be but neither am I as good as I ought to be. Can you identify with this? It goes a long way to explaining why the world is as it is.

The verse ‘Jesus came to save his people from their sins’ explains the oft used term ‘tidings of peace and joy’; this is the gem God offers to us expressed in the Christmas story. His coming has the goal of putting me and you in the right with God. Perhaps this Christmas present from God disappoints you. Going back to my own Christmas disappointment 60 years ago, the usefulness of that McGregor dressing-gown actually outlived the Dandy Annual. As for the Collins dictionary, it was in regular use until quite recently. Let’s not dismiss God’s Christmas present of Jesus too quickly as I did with those presents from my parents.