For many families, it's a sign that Christmas is coming when the tree gets put up. For my family, it's when the nativity scene is set out. We bring out the tree every year, but our decorations just don't feel complete without Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus making their appearances. When I was little, my mom would never let me help set it up. Even if the pieces were still stored in styrofoam, it was a hard sell for me to be allowed to handle them. It's made of glass, and she was worried I would break it. (Considering how few glass bowls are left in our house, this was - and probably still is - a valid concern.)
Often, when we're preparing for Christmas, everything has to be completely perfect. We are worried what people will think of us if we don't have the most beautiful decorations or the tastiest cookies or a flawless photograph for our cards. Even our wrapping paper can't be ripped or wrinkled before it's torn off the gifts.
As I have reflected on Christmas this year, I've had to wonder. How often do Christians do the very same thing to the wonderful gift God has given us? It's not wrong to want to have a beautiful home for welcoming guests and to remind us of the beauty of the Christmas story. But it becomes a problem when we treat the Gospel the same way we treat our Christmas decorations.
God came into the middle of our mess. Literally. Jesus was born in a stable. There were animals everywhere. I'm sure there was straw, animal poop, and stink everywhere. Mary went through labor, the same as any other woman, with all the blood and mess that comes along with that. Jesus slept in a trough meant for feeding animals. While spiritually it's a beautiful representation, the actual scene looked nothing like the pristine figurines we have in our homes.
But we're scared to go into the mess. As Christians, we're scared to associate with the drunk, the addict, the person bound by witchcraft. If we get near them, we might get dirty. We don't even stop to think that by stepping into their mess, we might be bringing exactly what is needed to help them get clean. We don't want to share how we came from shattered homes or had an anger problem. Our image will be broken. We don't even stop to think that by showing our brokenness, we're letting Him display His power to heal and restore.
And sometimes, God's story doesn't go the way we want it to. We don't want to admit that, even though we serve a God who is always good and powerful, there is evil in the world. We can't explain that perfect justice means killing an innocent man for the faults of others. We don't want to admit that maybe it sounds a little strange to outsiders that a virgin would have a baby. We take it on faith that God's way is better than we can even understand, so we won't acknowledge they might be tripping over something so fundamental to our beliefs.
But maybe that's exactly what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to step into the messiness of life, where people can be found. We're supposed to proclaim that God's goodness will be found, even in the middle of their messes and questions.
God wasn't afraid to deliver the most perfect gift of all in the dirtiest of circumstances. And He wasn't afraid to proclaim exactly where He was. We don't have to be afraid either. If a dirty, stinky stable can't ruin His love, then neither can our attempts to present it to the people the gift is for.
"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." - Luke 2:11-12
Join the conversation:
- How have you tried to "clean up" the presentation of the Gospel?
- What can you do to share God's gift with others in the way that will help them most?
For more complete context, you can read Luke 2 and Matthew 1-2.
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