Christmas (part 3)
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you”
The odds are against Jesus birthday being December the 25th. But it is absolutely amazing that he has a birthday at all. The Christian celebration of Christmas is taking a day when it is (at least in Manchester) grey and wet, when light and warmth are at a noticeable premium, and deciding to remember that most wonderful of miracles that is the Incarnation. There was a day when a baby was born who was a baby rather unlike any other, before or since. I have no idea how it works, that someone goes from “Through him all things were made” to “I think he needs changing again, and it’s your turn Joseph” but that is exactly what Christmas celebrates. It really was “he made himself nothing” to go from creator to creature. In some way he remained divine, and so some 33 ish years later, sometime around Easter, was able to become saviour, yet learned, grew, hoped, cried as a man.
I love that there is a day when my mind can turn back to this. I talk to the kids about us giving gifts to each other as a remembrance of the one gift given to all mankind. We go to church and sing carols, both old and new, and usually have some fun with pretend shepherds with tea-towels on their heads, and pray, and pushing aside thoughts of wrapping paper and food and tv schedules, we stand amazed at the heart of the whole celebration: a son has been given, and he is my saviour.
