I think a lot, sometimes, about the “Reason for the Season.”
The importance of Christmas is often overstated. After all, of our four gospels, only four felt any need to discuss the birth of Christ. The Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus as grown man, and the Gospel of John goes all the way back to Creation of the Word.
So why do we do Christmas?
Believe it or not… the party might actually be reason enough.
It’s good to have a party for Christ’s birth. It’s good to remember that the coming of Jesus Christ, not as a baby, but as King of Kings, is the coming of a good time, even if it is also a time feared by those who are in power.
People occasionally get irritated at the commercialization of Christmas, and I get it… I celebrate Halloween as much for holding Christmas songs in the store at bay as for any other reason. But having a celebration of Christ’s birth, a celebration that children can enjoy and that can push us to nostalgia… that’s pretty great, too.
We do not look forward to another Bethlehem. We look forward to Zion, the Kingdom of God where love is the law and all are brought together. But that is worthy of a party, the party a practice of the celebrations to come.
So Merry Christmas, PCOWS! Remember the reason for the season… and enjoy the parties that come with it!
Pastor Dan
