Chaplain's Corner

This is my 15th Christmas article. For fear of being a total bore I went back over the articles since 2001 and read over them, hoping that I hadn’t been boorishly repetitive – thankfully, I wasn’t. There is however that danger when writing about things like Christmas. This year I would like to suggest a Christmas exercise; not a physical one – a spiritual exercise. It is simple exercise that even a child might engage and challenging enough for the most advanced among us. The point of the exercise is simply to get to know oneself in the context of this holiday.

Here’s the exercise. Find a quiet place and a quiet time (that may be the hardest thing about this exercise) then take 30 minutes to read the historical accounts of the birth of Christ recorded in Matthew and Luke and the theological account in John’s gospel. They are not hard to find, they are at the beginning of each Gospel. Then ponder these questions: Do I believe the Bible’s account of Christmas? Do I believe that Jesus was born of a virgin? Do I believe that Jesus is indeed Emmanuel – God with us? Do I believe that the purpose of his coming to earth is to save me from my sins? If I do what does this belief require of me this Christmas?

Truth demands a response, especially the truth God reveals to us in the Bible. Truth doesn’t really allow us to sit on the fence; it really doesn’t permit a non-committal attitude. It requires that we accept it and act on it or that we reject it and ignore it. If you don’t believe that Jesus was God incarnate (come in the flesh), then everything else about Jesus in the Bible needs to be treated like fantasy. But if you believe that Jesus is God incarnate that act of faith demands not a passive but an active response.

One of the problems with this holiday is that most of us aren’t sure whether we really believe. Being culturally Christian is different than a personal commitment to trust Jesus. Are we stuck in that “no man’s land” of indecision which is in reality rejection. We may be uncomfortable with such a statement, but the fact is, if you don’t believe something, you reject it. Now people may reject something passively, with indifference or they may reject something vehemently, with passion. The results are, none-the-less the same. It is just that the later demonstrates much more integrity than the former.

Most of us have been exposed to the Bible’s Christmas account as long as we can remember. We have heard about Jesus along with Santa Clause, Rudolf, and Frosty the Snowman. Over the years our belief in the later three has dropped off and maybe so has our belief in Jesus. We may not be quite as comfortable admitting the later, after all, we do live in the Bible-belt of Manitoba and we have our reputation to uphold. But forget your reputation for a minute – do you really believe the Bible’s account of the fact and meaning of Christ’s birth?

I respect those who think the Bible’s account of Christmas is simply a part of the lore surrounding a holiday break in the middle of winter. I have less respect for those who make claims of believing the Bible’s account of the reality and meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ, but treat it with the same spirit as the others fantasies of Christmas. Fantasy requires no response; take it or leave it, there’s no consequence. Truth is different, it requires a decision: accept it and allow it to change you, or reject it and live with the consequences. That is what I am encouraging you to do with the Biblical account of Christmas. It’s really quite important; will you think about it over the next few weeks?