Christmas today, it seems to me, is largely characterized by
two images: the lullaby-ified Jesus and
the consumer holiday. Even as I write this piece, I hear playing in the
background the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s version of the Little Drummer Boy. The lyrics reference a king, but the resounding
sentiment of the music and words frames
a sweet encounter of child and baby. And
the always favorite Silent Night, written in 1818 by an Austrian minister, the
story is told, as he gazed down one evening from a hilltop overlooking his peaceful,
snow-covered village. The visuals we see at Christmas time – whether on cards,
manger scenes, or in store windows further contribute to this lullaby-ified
sense: soft, romantic scenes, connoting
that “all is bright, all is white.”
White, as in beautifully, peacfully snow-covered, but also in the strangely
white faces of this Palestinian holy family and child.
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| Sculpture by Peruvian Sculptor Edilberto Mérida Rodríguez. Photography: Billie Greenwood* |
On the other hand, Christmas today is characterized by the
commercial holiday. Giving gifts at Christmas time originates in the story of a
fourth century Bishop Nicholas, resident of the city of Myra in what is modern-day Turkey, who became known for his anonymous generosity to a very poor family
in his town. This story was later developed to create numerous traditions, including
that of Santa Clause, of a mystical, secret Christmas gift-giver.
In today’s world though, with essentially every aspect of
our day-to-day lives immersed in the raging waters of savage capitalism, market
interests have grabbed this tradition of gift-giving and put it on massive
doses of steroids. In the bombardment of advertising and store displays – and in
the implied guilt if we fail to buy and give -
we are called to make Christmas an orgy of consumption. Pull out those credit cards. Wrack up the bills today, and don’t worry about
paying them until later. After all, what make the world go ‘round is
money, right?!?
But wait – let’s step back for a moment. The story of
Christmas is embedded in something ancient – something even more ancient than
the story of the birth of Jesus. The writer
of Matthew’s Gospel (chapter 1, vss 18-24) tells us that the true meaning of
Christmas is to be found in the words of the Jewish prophet Isaiah. If we pay
attention to what is being said by the prophet, we will realize that our lullaby-ified
Jesus and commercialized Christmas have it all wrong.
Isaiah speaks to the people of Judah at a time when they
face the threat of war and defeat, when they fear for their lives and safety. In this context the prophet brings a promise
of hope. “God will show you a sign: A
young woman with child will name her child Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:1-25). The name, Emmanuel, means “God is with us” or
“God is in our midst.” The message of Isaiah
to the people is – “Don’t be afraid, don’t give in or give up. In the face of
the challenges before you, have faith and resist. This is not a time for fear or despair, but a
time for defiance and hope! The child –
a simple child – is the sign, the tangible symbol of the fact that you are not
alone. It is the promise that through
faith and by standing in resistance, a radically new future is possible.
That, my friends, is the true message of the baby in the
manger! Not a sweet lullaby-ified Jesus,
and certainly not a call to the material gluttony of the savagely capitalist
world of Wall Street or the Trump Enterprises. Rather the brown-faced baby Jesus,
born as an outcast in a danky, smelly, manger surrounded by barn animals and shepherds
– the lowest of non-persons in his society; this Jesus, who would days after his birth
become a refugee in Egypt and who would later be falsely accused and murdered
by the state; this Jesus is not the sweet
baby lying gently on soft, glistening strands of golden hay, nor the “dreaming of a white
Christmas” Jesus beckoning to buy and buy more.
No, this Jesus is one who came as a sign, as a call to faith and
resistance - to us today in a world of greed and violence; a
world where our taxes pay for endless wars, where our leaders demonize
immigrants, ostracize refugees and disregard the killing of black people on our
streets, where our governments make our nations poor in order to further enrich
the 1%, where there is disregard and a cutting of funds to assist the sick, the
poor, the homeless. In this world, the
baby Jesus is our sign, our tangible symbol and promise that we are not alone. The baby in a manger is an announcement of
hope and at the same time a call. We are
called to be a people who believe and who instead of giving into fear and backing
down, take a stand. The baby calls us to
be a people who resist evil and injustice, and who engage the struggle for a world of
true freedom and justice, a world with the promise of a radically new future!
Merry Christmas!**
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* To see more of Billie Greenwood's photography go to
https://www.flickr.com/photos/borderexplorer/albums/72157628747678581
** Click here to see a short poem of Christmas Resistance that I posted last Christmas.