"Bah! Humbug!" is the famous line quoted by Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol declaring Christmas to be a fraud. Scrooge despised Christmas because of his cold heart and greed, but many people feel the disappointment and unmet expectations that Christmas brings.
For them Christmas was "humbug"...something designed to deceive and mislead. The problem is Christmas has been turned into a cornucopia of religious and secular traditions with a sprinkling of fairy dust on top. It has been turned into something designed to deceive and mislead.
It has been turned into something "magical"... where all your dreams may come true. In reality all your dreams rarely come true. This combination of fantasy and marketing leaves many disappointed when confronted with the reality of their personal experience. Some remember the magic of childhood, when the twinkling of lights took them to "Never Never Land," when the happiness from a new toy made life complete, and long to return.
That is not the message of Jesus, whose birth we are celebrating. His message is love. Not "magical" love, but love coming from a heart transformed by the cross. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say this is the day of my birth, let us rejoice and remember it. What Jesus does say in I Corinthians 11:24-25 is...
“...This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”25. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
So, this Christmas season, let's remember the real message of Jesus and long for HIS return.
Oh yes... this really pulls those silly big red pants down! Now, I gotta go look up that, corny copia word, but I think I already know what it means... I'm convinced that such an invisible warfront has built itself up since our earliest celebrations of Christ's birth, up to this very day. Their evil purpose continues to steal and rob us of the joy and humble respect of this moment each year.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is exactly right-on, Bren. And, I truly hope taking of Christ's body and His blood is experienced during this period. How greater to show our appreciation?
I love you. Thanks