C.S. Lewis called Christianity the “one true myth;” regarding Christmas, Andrew Peterson has coined the phrase “The True Tall Tale of the Coming of Christ.” Does that kind of language strike our ears in strange way? Maybe we need to step back and take a look at the wonderfully absurd miracle of Christmas. Who would have guessed that God would come to us in the way that he did – a helpless baby born to a young girl pledged to be married to a man of no great means. God sent angels to herald the news to a people who longed for a Savior, but who would have otherwise missed his arrival.
The Jews missed it. They had the Law and the Prophets to point them to God’s redemptive plan, and they missed it. Let’s not be too hard on them, though. Christ’s first disciples continually missed it—continually misunderstood God’s plan in Christ even though Jesus had chosen them and invested himself in them for several years.
But let’s not be too hard on them either. To use the language of Matthew 7, we’ve got a plank in our eye when it comes to Christmas. We act like it’s about decorations and presents and food and family and children and Santa and yet we still declare that “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” I admit that I share in this hypocrisy, and I’m trying to be plank-free in my perspective. My challenge is for all of us to do the same.
December 2nd marks the beginning of Advent—a season that culminates with Christmas: our celebration of the birth of the Savior. During this Advent may we retell with even greater purpose the story of God’s creation and our fall; of his coming to rescue and redeem us. May we allow God to remove the planks and specks from our eyes as we expectantly re-enact the waiting for God’s great hope to be revealed.
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