EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH
Christmas is not in the details
By Harvey C.W. Ching
As the holidays draw nearer, I get a sense of foreboding. This should be a time of great joy and happiness, so why the feeling of doom?
Perhaps it is because I haven't done all my shopping yet. Perhaps it is because I dread writing all those thank-you notes after Christmas. (It's not that I'm not thankful; it's just that I tend to procrastinate and then feel guilty.)
Maybe it's the traffic and the crush of the crowds during the last few days before Christmas. Whatever it is, I shouldn't be feeling this way.
As I prepare sermons for the season, I reflect on the first Christmas. There is simplicity in the story. A baby born in a manger: How beautiful and tender! There is drama too: the evil king who tries to kill the child.
But, of course, it all works out. The child is preserved by a divine warning and escapes the wrath of the murderous king. There is pathos, with the outcast shepherds who are the first to visit the newborn king. And the wise men bring gifts to the child.
There seems to be a quiet serenity in the story of the first Christmas.
So why is my soul not serene now? What has intruded to spoil the happy celebration of a glorious event? Perhaps it is greed? Commercialism? An unhealthy focus on things rather than the Christ? We have probably heard all of this before. So what is the answer?
Do I give up giving gifts?
Do I tell everyone that I will not be sending out any more Christmas cards? Do I stay in my house and refuse to venture out into the madding crowd? Or do I look at these things as opportunities to live as Christ would want me to live?
Perhaps I can look at the crowds, desperate to get their shopping done and racking up huge Christmas debts on their plastic cards, as sheep without a shepherd. Jesus had great compassion for those who were weary and heavy laden. Why shouldn't I?
Perhaps I can focus on the fact that the first gifts given were to Christ himself. Maybe I can concentrate on what I want to give to Christ rather than getting so involved with only buying gifts for others. My gifts of devotion, purity and worship are important to him. I can still show the love of Christ by what I give to others, but he must come first.
The Christ of Christmas, not holiday trappings, should be the focus of the season. Once I have my focus right, the rest is easy. The crowds are not a problem anymore. Shopping becomes a joy, for it is an expression of the one who gave us the greatest of all gifts: eternal life.
With his example firmly planted in my mind, I can truly enjoy this time of the year, for I know the reason for the season.
Harvey Ching is pastor of Kaneohe Congregational Church and an adjunct professor at International College and Graduate School.
Expressions of Faith welcomes written works by pastors, priests, lay workers and other leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035. Articles submitted to The Advertiser may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.
