Thorwald Lorenzen

Understand me right. I love to have my family gathered around the Christmas tree. I can still see our children reciting their first Christmas poem and singing their first Christmas song before they were allowed to open their presents. I love a good meal in the circle of family and friends. I love to give and receive presents. I don't think that there is anything wrong with all that. But that does not mean that it is Christian.

For it to be Christian it would have to reflect, even in some distant way, the story of Jesus. And the story of Jesus is not about glitter and consume, but about a cross. This is already evident in the biblical Christmas stories:

The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness did not overcome it.
He was in the world,
and the world came into being through him;
yet the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
and his own people did not accept him.

When the early Christians told the story of Jesus' conception and birth, we do not only hear that God "has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant" and that from then on "all generations" will call Mary blessed, but Mary's song continues:

He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.

That is tough stuff for a society that measures the success of Christmas by the number of parties we go to, by the amount of presents we give and receive, and by the profit retailers make.

We have glorified the shepherds and the manger and thus taken the sting of the cross out of Christmas. The reality was different.

Mary gave birth to her first born son
and wrapped him in bands of cloth,
and laid him in a manger,
because there was no place for them in the inn.

The manger was not the preferred place - it was a feeding trough for animals. And although Mary was pregnant and about to give birth, there was no room for her, because people protected their privileges and privacy.

Do you remember that conspiracy, betrayal and murder accompanied Jesus birth, so that soon after his birth the holy family became a refugee family? Being pursued by the men of Herod, Joseph "took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt."

Our Christmas seems to have more to do with Big W, David Jones and Target than with Jesus. We do not worship the God who has shown God's power in the weakness of the cross. We worship the god of consumerism, frills, romance and money.

Please understand me right: I want us all to enjoy our families and presents and turkey. Why not? It is human. But there is nothing particularly Christian about that.

There may yet be a whisper of angels, if we transcend our traditional Christmas and include others; if we do something intentional and special for people in need. Let us try. to find ways to put Christ and his cross back into Christmas.