Light and Darkness
Our culture gets Christmas backwards. I'm sure that's no surprise to many of you reading this. But this year it really hit me, how far secular Christmas is away from Christ-mass.
There are people who love secular Christmas - what I'm referring to here is the Christmas that's full of tinsel and bright shiny decorations and presents and Santa Claus - and that's ok! I do not want you to think I'm dissing your holiday. My sister is one of these people and I say you go girl - you keep Christmas in your way, you do you! But the problem that I see with it is that it's become a month-long (or even two-month-long, if you're one of those people who's ready to put up the tree the day after Halloween) season where cheer is seemingly foisted upon us all. If you don't feel the "Christmas spirit" then there's something wrong with you. How many movies and TV shows are dedicated to this subject? And we're all worried about how we can possibly measure up to the magical expectations we set, giving the best gifts and preparing the best food, hosting the best parties, etc. Amid all this worrying and feeling pressured, we tend to act in not-so-jolly ways. Trust me, I know: I worked retail for several Christmases and two of my siblings still do. That same sister who loves Christmas also couldn't wait for the season this year to be over, due to the utter insanity.
Maybe it's harder for me, personally, because over the past few years I've become more sensitive to the fact that the nights are so long and light is so scarce. That's also why I haven't lost any of my enthusiasm for Christmas lights; few things make me feel like a little kid this time of year like driving past houses decked out in bright, colorful light displays. Depression is something I struggle with year-round, but it can get particularly bleak during a season of darkness. That's why John 1:5 is my all-time favorite scripture (and the one I'd want as a tattoo if I ever get one):
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (NRSV)
It's not only the physical darkness that gets us down. We know that human beings are capable of dark, horrible things. Horrible things don't take a break at Christmas time, either. They never have. The reason why Christmas is a miracle, the reason why it became such an important holiday for Christians is that it represents God coming down and becoming human in the midst of all this mess. This day represents a time when the world was at its darkest, literally and figuratively, and God chose that day to enter into our human condition. We believe in a God who loves humanity enough to become one of us, to live in some of the worst conditions and experience suffering alongside us. Because ultimately darkness does not overcome the light. Many religions celebrate a holiday around this time that has to do with light overcoming darkness. It all comes down to that universal truth, that all the darkness in the world cannot overcome even a tiny flame of light. We humans are a hopeful species.
Another thing that secular Christmas gets backwards: after today, they think it's all over. The tree gets taken down, the holly jolly songs are no longer played on the radio, the stores are ready for Valentine's Day. But "those of us who have walked in darkness have seen a great light", and we carry it within us. Some of the songs you've heard over the past month say things like "I wish it was Christmas every day." I don't think they're saying they want the tinsel and the outer wrappings of Christmas every day; what they want is that feeling of warmth and light in your heart. That's what we all hope to get out of all this wacky preparation, a magical feeling that is hard to define or capture but we do our best to create it. We wear ourselves out trying to do it without the help of the Spirit. I hope that today, at least, you can spend a little time in the warm hollow of this joy and bask in it, not worrying about what you got right or what you forgot, but just knowing that in this moment, you are loved and it's alright. Merry Christmas.
There are people who love secular Christmas - what I'm referring to here is the Christmas that's full of tinsel and bright shiny decorations and presents and Santa Claus - and that's ok! I do not want you to think I'm dissing your holiday. My sister is one of these people and I say you go girl - you keep Christmas in your way, you do you! But the problem that I see with it is that it's become a month-long (or even two-month-long, if you're one of those people who's ready to put up the tree the day after Halloween) season where cheer is seemingly foisted upon us all. If you don't feel the "Christmas spirit" then there's something wrong with you. How many movies and TV shows are dedicated to this subject? And we're all worried about how we can possibly measure up to the magical expectations we set, giving the best gifts and preparing the best food, hosting the best parties, etc. Amid all this worrying and feeling pressured, we tend to act in not-so-jolly ways. Trust me, I know: I worked retail for several Christmases and two of my siblings still do. That same sister who loves Christmas also couldn't wait for the season this year to be over, due to the utter insanity.
Maybe it's harder for me, personally, because over the past few years I've become more sensitive to the fact that the nights are so long and light is so scarce. That's also why I haven't lost any of my enthusiasm for Christmas lights; few things make me feel like a little kid this time of year like driving past houses decked out in bright, colorful light displays. Depression is something I struggle with year-round, but it can get particularly bleak during a season of darkness. That's why John 1:5 is my all-time favorite scripture (and the one I'd want as a tattoo if I ever get one):
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." (NRSV)
It's not only the physical darkness that gets us down. We know that human beings are capable of dark, horrible things. Horrible things don't take a break at Christmas time, either. They never have. The reason why Christmas is a miracle, the reason why it became such an important holiday for Christians is that it represents God coming down and becoming human in the midst of all this mess. This day represents a time when the world was at its darkest, literally and figuratively, and God chose that day to enter into our human condition. We believe in a God who loves humanity enough to become one of us, to live in some of the worst conditions and experience suffering alongside us. Because ultimately darkness does not overcome the light. Many religions celebrate a holiday around this time that has to do with light overcoming darkness. It all comes down to that universal truth, that all the darkness in the world cannot overcome even a tiny flame of light. We humans are a hopeful species.
Another thing that secular Christmas gets backwards: after today, they think it's all over. The tree gets taken down, the holly jolly songs are no longer played on the radio, the stores are ready for Valentine's Day. But "those of us who have walked in darkness have seen a great light", and we carry it within us. Some of the songs you've heard over the past month say things like "I wish it was Christmas every day." I don't think they're saying they want the tinsel and the outer wrappings of Christmas every day; what they want is that feeling of warmth and light in your heart. That's what we all hope to get out of all this wacky preparation, a magical feeling that is hard to define or capture but we do our best to create it. We wear ourselves out trying to do it without the help of the Spirit. I hope that today, at least, you can spend a little time in the warm hollow of this joy and bask in it, not worrying about what you got right or what you forgot, but just knowing that in this moment, you are loved and it's alright. Merry Christmas.
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