Thursday, December 8, 2011

THE CRISIS OF CHRISTMAS


Luke 1:49-50    And Mary said: “From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”
  

            The crisis of Christmas in the Christian community, put bluntly, is a crisis of faith. Faith is a commitment to Truth, who is Jesus Christ. Faith is dedication to Reality, who is Jesus Christ. When my mind gives to things the importance they have in reality, I am living in the truth. But when the social conventions, artificial distractions and superficial claims of the unreal world, which is passing away, dominate my time, interest and attention, I am living in untruth.

           

            The primitive confession of faith “Jesus is Lord” is not an abstract theological proposition but a highly personal statement. It puts my integrity on the line and profoundly affects the way I celebrate Advent, the four weeks of preparation for the birth of Christ. If Jesus is Lord of my life and my Christmas, I am challenged to submit all the priorities of my personal and professional life to this primary fact. In gut-level honesty, what rules or lives as we prepare for Christmas? What has power over us?


            What rules in me is the kingdom of people, the kingdom of events, petty plans and personal interests. They stifle Jesus Christ, crowd Him out of my life. Who can understand how Jesus can be the Son of God and I can be so indifferent to Him? What shape would Advent and Christmas take if Jesus really ruled in me?

             The invisible world would become more real than the visible, the world of what I believe more real than the world of what I see, Christ more real than myself. Christmas would be more than a breathless finale to a frantic shopping season, more than sentimental music, tinsel on the tree, a liturgical pageant and boozy goodwill toward the world. Yes, life would be radically different if Jesus Christ ruled in me, if my faith had the force of a passionate conviction.           


The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, by Brennan Manning, pgs. 167-169.   

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