Friday
Dec152006
Incarnation, Tradition and "Skype"
Bernie Anderson
The Christmas season that is upon our family is definitely a different one for us. Renee' and I have been married for 17 and a half years now, and while our tradition has not really been set in stone in any sense, we do tend to do the same general things each year. My years as a pastor in Franklin meant that our activities at Christmas time were somewhat determined by the church's Christmas schedule. So some years Christmas Eve was spent at Renee's parents, some years it was spent at home with our church family. A few times we had family with us over the holiday. While there was some variety over the years, we still generally spent the season with people that we love. We were always intentional to make Christmas about Jesus - a difficult thing to do when the Advent adverts begin sometime shortly after the fourth of July. Fantastic memories and helpful family tradition has developed over the years. Christmas has always been about being with the people we love and Jesus. I've been pleased with the results.
This year everything changes. The people that we have always spent the holiday season with are now a bit further than an afternoon's drive away. People who have spent their lives working in an overseas context know this experience well but it is a very new experience for us. Frankly, we have been feeling the strain of distance from friends and family since thanksgiving. Cori had a birthday the other day, and while her grandparents were able to watch her open some Birthday presents over Skype - it doesn't seem quite the same. It isn't quite the same.
This year Christmas can not be about being with the people we love and Jesus. This year, it's just about Jesus because the people we love are thousands of miles away.
It is a little bit ironic that "gathering with family" has become such a significant piece of the Christmas holiday come to think about it. Jesus left his family to come to earth. I am a firm believer that the incarnation is all about missions and, conversely, missions is all about incarnation. The message of grace could only be known and received when Christ left heaven and all that was beautiful there. He became one of us. He had to be born in rather unseemly and difficult circumstances. He lived with us. God lived in human flesh and ate human food and breathed human air. He died as one us. It's a bit overwhelming to think about, really.
We are going to miss our family and friends this year. We already do. We know that Christmas is not about Santa Claus (I wrote about that last year). However, this Christmas we are finding that it's not even about gathering with family and friends, as beautiful and Christ exalting as that can be.
It's all about incarnation. It's His cross-cultural grace proclamation and his continued presence with us - Emanuel.
I am going to close this rambling blog with two thoughts.
One: We really do miss all of you and will be praying for you - that you will know the presence of the One who was born to die this season of incarnation. We wish we could there (or even better - that you could be here!)
Two: The words of Nate Saint express what I'm wanting to say here better than I know how to put into words
"As we have a high old time this Christmas, may we who know Christ hear the cry of the damned as they hurtle headlong into the Christless night without ever having a chance. May we be moved with compassion as our Lord was. May we shed tears of repentance for these we have failed to bring out of the darkness. Beyond the smiling scenes of Bethlehem, may we see the crushing agony of Golgotha. May God give us a new vision of His will concerning the lost - and our responsibility."
Merry Christmas to all of you …
This year everything changes. The people that we have always spent the holiday season with are now a bit further than an afternoon's drive away. People who have spent their lives working in an overseas context know this experience well but it is a very new experience for us. Frankly, we have been feeling the strain of distance from friends and family since thanksgiving. Cori had a birthday the other day, and while her grandparents were able to watch her open some Birthday presents over Skype - it doesn't seem quite the same. It isn't quite the same.
This year Christmas can not be about being with the people we love and Jesus. This year, it's just about Jesus because the people we love are thousands of miles away.
It is a little bit ironic that "gathering with family" has become such a significant piece of the Christmas holiday come to think about it. Jesus left his family to come to earth. I am a firm believer that the incarnation is all about missions and, conversely, missions is all about incarnation. The message of grace could only be known and received when Christ left heaven and all that was beautiful there. He became one of us. He had to be born in rather unseemly and difficult circumstances. He lived with us. God lived in human flesh and ate human food and breathed human air. He died as one us. It's a bit overwhelming to think about, really.
We are going to miss our family and friends this year. We already do. We know that Christmas is not about Santa Claus (I wrote about that last year). However, this Christmas we are finding that it's not even about gathering with family and friends, as beautiful and Christ exalting as that can be.
It's all about incarnation. It's His cross-cultural grace proclamation and his continued presence with us - Emanuel.
I am going to close this rambling blog with two thoughts.
One: We really do miss all of you and will be praying for you - that you will know the presence of the One who was born to die this season of incarnation. We wish we could there (or even better - that you could be here!)
Two: The words of Nate Saint express what I'm wanting to say here better than I know how to put into words
"As we have a high old time this Christmas, may we who know Christ hear the cry of the damned as they hurtle headlong into the Christless night without ever having a chance. May we be moved with compassion as our Lord was. May we shed tears of repentance for these we have failed to bring out of the darkness. Beyond the smiling scenes of Bethlehem, may we see the crushing agony of Golgotha. May God give us a new vision of His will concerning the lost - and our responsibility."
Merry Christmas to all of you …
Reader Comments (12)
Bernie,
A very good article. And you one from last Christmas is even better. My wife and I do not do the Santa thing with the kids. We used to do it, but about 4 years ago I really felt we should stop. It took me a while to convince Sara, but we are really glad we did it. You talk about Santa being a lie in the other blog, and say that parents have to actually lie to their kids. You talk about him eclipsing Jesus.
I want to make one comment about all of that. People say that it is just a little lie that doesn't really count. I have asked several people in our church what they would do if I announced from the pulpit while the children were in the sanctuary that Santa was a lie. Almost everyone of them got very upset and agreed that they might possibly leave the church. That is the power of this little lie. This little lie has eclipsed Jesus. I don't think there is a church in America that if the lie of Santa was exposed from the pulpit while kids were present that would not have a mass exodus of people that very moment. People say Santa is harmless. But I think that he can be very harmful to the faith. Anyway just my two cents.
Jerry:
Amen and amen. I never actually said "Santa is a lie" from the pulpit for the same reasons that you said - I wasn't sure that it was worth making people that upset over. We are glad that Jesus has always been the center of our Christmas, and our kids have been fine knowing that Santa is a myth. A nice myth. But a myth none-the-less. Thanks for your two-cents. Always good to hear from you!
Merry Christmas to you and your family. We miss you also. And we will be praying for you all. Your comments about Christmas being all about Jesus and His departure from heaven and everything beautiful there to give us redemption gave me goosebumps. That thought is so beautiful and as you said overwhelming!! Thank You, Lord. May Your church exalt You.
Thank you for your prayers. We love you.
Kelli and family
Have a holly, jolly Christmas
it's the best time of the year...
I don't know if there'll be snow, but have a cup of cheer...
Have a holly jolly Christmas and in case you didn't hear...=)
Oh, by golly, have a holly jolly Christmas this year!!!!!
;P
Oh my word ... I think my website has been spammed by the notorious "Burl Ives" spammer, hitting unsuspecting websites with Christmas fluff and Holiday hokiness during the Christmas season...
:)
I miss you guys...
We miss you guys too....=)
Yeah, you should see the big santa with reindeer we got to replace the cradle and cross you use to put up! ho ho ho!
hee hee
Actually, the cradle and cross didn't even get up. This year, Joel and I aren't having any problem having Santa eclipse Jesus. We're trying not to let moving eclipse everything. No decorations at the Smythes this year. But Jesus is here!! =)
Miss you!
A good message for this special time of the year and for all time. The entire incarnation is almost beyond what our brain cells can comprehend. Thanks for sharing and reminding others what Christmas is about.
[...] It’s time, however, to bring you up to date on our everyday life. Had I written this 6 weeks or so ago, I would have titled it, “Sunshine gone away today, don’t feel much like dancing…� If you don’t recognize these words, talk to someone older than you and they can hum it for you. In website timeline, this blog should fit between our Thanksgiving blog and our Christmas blog. It was the Monday after Thanksgiving that Narah came, but she wasn’t wearing her typical smile and she didn’t take off her coat. She was coming to tell us she was moving back to Darhan that afternoon. [...]