I try not to lose site of Jesus during the Christmas Season. Of course, just like all of you, my celebrations have grown and evolved to include family and cultural traditions that have absolutely nothing to do with the story surrounding Jesus' miraculous conception and birth. It is a struggle to keep Christ central with so many competing seasonal activities and distractions.
Here is a partial list of some of these distractions: Christmas shopping, Christmas Decorating, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Reindeer, Santa, Ugly Sweater Parties, Seasonal Overtime on the Job, and School Exams just before Christmas. Most of these things are not bad in and of themselves but when put all-together, the result is that of crowding Jesus out of a day which purports to celebrate His birth.
How did my Christmas holiday grow to include a requisite office party where drunk co-workers sing sexually suggestive lyrics at a karaoke bar? How did Christmas become linked with yearly videos depicting women fighting over sales items on Black Friday? Yet, it is for us to choose to make an about-face and head back towards the true meaning of the Christmas celebration.
I make small steps every year to choose to put Jesus back in the manger. It begins with reading the prophesies telling of God's promise to send a Savior. Next, I read and reflect upon the Infancy Narratives in the Bible,i.e. the accounts given by Matthew, Luke and John concerning His birth. This year, here are some of the scriptures that I have focused on.
Scriptures for your Christmas Reflections:
Isaiah 11:1-Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
Jeremiah 23:8- Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,"When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as King and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land."
Zechariah 3:8- Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you, for they are a wondrous sign; for behold, I am bringing forth My Servant, the BRANCH.
Zechariah 5:12- Behold the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord
John 1:1-2- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
John 1:14- And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 15:1-I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
The first four verses above describe shoots, and branches. These are certainly evocative allusions for me as I face a cold northeastern United States winter. Looking out my window I see trees where sap has ceased to flow, and I think of what it means to have life spring from a stem, as described in Isaiah 11:1. It will certainly be quite some time before any of my trees, such as the cherry and pear trees that I have in my garden, will bring forth fruit. And, so it was for the Jewish people awaiting a Messiah.
This year, I have found myself reflecting upon some of perhaps, the less popular bible verses of the season. I am thinking about the Gospel of John and how he refers to the birth of Jesus. The evangelist John does not repeat the earlier gospel accounts of Jesus' birth. The gospels of Matthew and Luke cover all the details that we have come to know as the Christmas Story. The Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary. Her assent to bear the Child destined to be the Savior of the world. We learn of the glad tidings of Jesus' birth delivered by a multitude of angels to the shephards in the field. And, of His humble birth in the manger. All of the adorable Christmas plays that we have seen with Angels with crooked halos or Joseph tripping over his robe are based on these two accounts.
But what does John have to say and why? John opens with a powerful assertion. That is, that Jesus is indeed God! He pulls no punches as he harkens back to connect this child born in a manger to the creation of the world. This can be seen by the language that he uses. Open the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 and it says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. John 1:1 opens as you can see (above) with the same first three words,"In the beginning." John then goes on to refer to Jesus as the "Word." Qué rico! How rich it is, to think of Jesus as the Word or divine presence of God. Just like the thought of a ripe and fruitful pear tree makes my mouth water, how much more so to think of God Himself fully present to us, as described in John 1:14 (above). Finally, in our last verse, we again return to an agricultural reference, as Jesus declares, that He is the true vine. This verse again affirms the language of the prophets as they spoke of the coming Messiah.
Scriptures for your Christmas Reflections:
Isaiah 11:1-Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
Jeremiah 23:8- Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,"When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as King and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land."
Zechariah 3:8- Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your companions who sit before you, for they are a wondrous sign; for behold, I am bringing forth My Servant, the BRANCH.
Zechariah 5:12- Behold the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord
John 1:1-2- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
John 1:14- And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 15:1-I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
The first four verses above describe shoots, and branches. These are certainly evocative allusions for me as I face a cold northeastern United States winter. Looking out my window I see trees where sap has ceased to flow, and I think of what it means to have life spring from a stem, as described in Isaiah 11:1. It will certainly be quite some time before any of my trees, such as the cherry and pear trees that I have in my garden, will bring forth fruit. And, so it was for the Jewish people awaiting a Messiah.
This year, I have found myself reflecting upon some of perhaps, the less popular bible verses of the season. I am thinking about the Gospel of John and how he refers to the birth of Jesus. The evangelist John does not repeat the earlier gospel accounts of Jesus' birth. The gospels of Matthew and Luke cover all the details that we have come to know as the Christmas Story. The Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary. Her assent to bear the Child destined to be the Savior of the world. We learn of the glad tidings of Jesus' birth delivered by a multitude of angels to the shephards in the field. And, of His humble birth in the manger. All of the adorable Christmas plays that we have seen with Angels with crooked halos or Joseph tripping over his robe are based on these two accounts.
But what does John have to say and why? John opens with a powerful assertion. That is, that Jesus is indeed God! He pulls no punches as he harkens back to connect this child born in a manger to the creation of the world. This can be seen by the language that he uses. Open the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 and it says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. John 1:1 opens as you can see (above) with the same first three words,"In the beginning." John then goes on to refer to Jesus as the "Word." Qué rico! How rich it is, to think of Jesus as the Word or divine presence of God. Just like the thought of a ripe and fruitful pear tree makes my mouth water, how much more so to think of God Himself fully present to us, as described in John 1:14 (above). Finally, in our last verse, we again return to an agricultural reference, as Jesus declares, that He is the true vine. This verse again affirms the language of the prophets as they spoke of the coming Messiah.
The joy of the Christmas season is well expressed in a popular Christmas song that you all know. It says, joy to the world the Lord has come, let earth receive her King. The very essence of the holiday is the simple joy of knowing that the salvation that you have been seeking has arrived. It is up to us to choose to accept the offer. But, unlike the Black Friday deals you missed out on, the offer is always available. May God's presence be manifest in your life and home this season and always. Merry Christmas everyone!
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