Abnormal Christmas
The year 2020 is going out in a way that befits the strange and disruptive nature of the rest of this dreadful year. It’s hard to find any part of society that is not upended by the events of these many months. Whether it’s politics, education, entertainment, the economy, religion, family, technology, healthcare, law enforcement, or any number of institutions and systems crucial to our society, the consequences have ranged from inconvenient to devastating. So it’s no surprise that Christmas celebrations are unusual this year. But still, it’s Christmas!
The fact is, Christmas may have become a bit too normal for many of us. It rolls around faster every year and instead of considering the wonder behind the holiday, we can be more concerned and distracted about peripheral issues that have nothing to do with the biblical events surrounding Christ’s birth. Surviving the holidays can supersede the importance of celebrating God’s gift. Our “normal” approach to Christmas becomes a dysfunctional and distorted, high-stress replacement for the joyful time it should be.
This year, throw a pandemic into the mix and you may feel like skipping the yuletide festivities altogether. However, what if the virus served as a vaccine, helping to heal our diseased Christmas perspectives? What if it helped us realize how much we take Christmas, among other things, for granted?
In reality, it’s appropriate that Christmas be associated with disruption. Jesus’ arrival was disturbing and confusing, beginning with the angel’s announcement to Mary. She would bear the Son of God! That led to her betrothed, Joseph, discovering his beloved young fiancée was pregnant! The story intensifies when Joseph is visited by an angel informing Him that his wife-to-be bore a child conceived by the Holy Spirit and that child was the Messiah! This is all capped off with a miraculous birth in a manger, complete with brightly glowing angels informing shepherds of the glorious event.
Jesus did not come to create normalcy. He came to disrupt. He pierced time and creation like no other ever has or will. He defined history. He revealed reality. It may be that much of the stress associated with Christmas comes from trying to force normalcy into the celebration of Christ’s arrival. It’s really about the abnormal.
There is nothing normal about God becoming a man in order to die for humanity as payment for their sins. Normal can’t describe One who performed miracles of healing, feeding, dominating nature and demons, yet allowing Himself to be tortured and crucified at the hands of those He came to save. And it goes without saying that the Resurrection does not fall within the usual course of events.
So as you might be tempted to complain and lament the disrupted nature of Christmas 2020, remember it might more accurately reflect the first Christmas than any in your lifetime. Experience the atypical peace, love, joy and hope that only Christ can provide. And wish someone a merry abnormal Christmas!
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” —John 1:14