Airbrushing Christmas
I GUESS YOU'RE AWARE that the photos in glossy magazines are often
airbrushed so that the glamorous models seem to be perfect in their appearance.
When we compare ourselves to them we are often left feeling inadequate at being
unable to attain such a high and unrealistic ideal - and perhaps that's
exactly why we end up buying the products that such models are often used to
advertise.
I want to suggest that something similar is true of Christmas - somewhere along the line the real story has been airbrushed. Rather than being the perfect little nativity scene that we imagine, the truth is more like a series of newspaper headlines: "Young Mum's Extraordinary Claims About Baby's Father!", "Homeless Woman Forced To Give Birth In Smelly Farmyard!", "Refugee Family Seeks Asylum To Escape Baby-Killing Dictator!".
Now, you might be about to accuse me of spoiling Christmas for you, but I want to suggest that by understanding the reality of that first Christmas we can more fully grasp its significance for us today. If we expect our festive season to be 'perfect'we are often left disappointed - whether it's the family argument, the discarded present, or the burnt turkey, something always seems to ruin it for us. No matter how much we spend - it seems impossible for Christmas to live up to the airbrushed ideal.
The reality of the first Christmas is stark - the agony of the childbirth, the stench of the stable and the fear of violence - and that, in fact, is the whole point of the story! At Christmas, we remember that God entered our humanity by being born into an imperfect world. It is into the midst of darkness and anger and despair and pain that Christ comes as God's personal message of love and hope and peace and joy!
For many, Christmas is a difficult time.. perhaps because money is tight or families separated, or perhaps because a loved one is absent for the first time. For such people it is the reality of Christmas and not the airbrushed ideal that brings hope. The Christmas baby was 'born to die'in order to tell an imperfect world just how much God loves us, and to show us the way to a place where "He will wipe every tear from our eyes"and where "there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain".
So rather than wishing you a 'Happy Christmas'this year, I'm praying that you might be blessed with a 'Real Christmas'instead!
P.S. Thanks to all who contributed to the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child!