Hear the Angel Voices

Christmas has never caused any spiritual stirrings in my heart. This might be because I didn't grow up in a religious home. That isn't to say that I never went to church when I was a kid, but it wasn't part of my regular routine and I was never in church on Christmas.

For some this is a deeply emotional experience to reflect on how God, the supreme author of the universe, took on the body of human frailty in order to redeem his people who desperately need him. I can relate to that, but on December 25th I feel no stronger about this than on the other 364 days of the year. Don't get me wrong. I still get excited about Christmas, but it is frustrating because I want to connect with what is being discussed in church, and each year it is a struggle for me to do so.

That being said, I am enjoying Vintage's Advent series called The Invasion. The militaristic overtones are not accidental. The Jews of Jesus's time viewed the coming of the Christ, or the Messiah, in these terms. He would be the one to restore the kingdom of David and establish a kingdom without end. But the kingdom of God came in such unintuitive trappings: not in power but in weakness; not with military might, but with love and grace. So often we come to think of God's kingdom in these earthly terms.

I was driving home the other day and I was, somewhat shamefully, thinking about my Christmas list. I get really excited about the gifts I give people, but I also get excited about the ones I'm going to receive. I'm a game junky, and I asked for a lot of games that I am excited to play with my family and friends. But as I was thinking about these things that I would be getting, I saw a father and son walking in the cold. The father had a satchel and he held the child's hand as they walked across the street. It didn't look like they had anywhere to go. It was cold then, and it's even colder tonight.

Maybe Christmas is a good opportunity to realize how entrenched we can become in our own microcosms.