A Picture Perfect Christmas

I want a Norman Rockwell Christmas, with snow-dusted carolers wrapped in woolen coats and fur caps singing on my front porch. I want Christmas trees freshly cut in the forest and brought home by laughing families that gather around the fireplace to warm up with hot cocoa and gingerbread cookies before decorating each bough with handmade ornaments. I want gifts thoughtfully crafted or purchased with the tastes and interests of the recipient in mind, and then carefully gift-wrapped in paper printed with potato-cuts dipped in paint by little hands. I want curly ribbon, a thoughtful note on the gift tag, and I want to see them given one at a time, while everyone watches to see what treasure is inside the box. I want bountiful meals, with various relatives bringing their special dish for everyone to ooh and aah over, and adults and children who enjoy one another's company, never argue or fight, or get on each other's nerves. I want a beautiful Mary, and a wise Joseph, with clean, deodorized sheep and shepherds, and Baby Jesus lying on a soft, fluffy bed of straw in a warm, cozy stable surrounded by dander-free, freshly-bathed farm animals looking on. 

But that's not the real Christmas, at least, not the one experienced by so many in our world today. There's always some element that doesn't measure up to the beautiful Rockwell picture.  Perhaps it's that many do not know, let alone sing, the carols of Jesus and Wise Men and Angels, for there are many who are alien to the joy of Jesus' birth, opting instead for the myth of Santa Claus or the drive of consumerism. Or perhaps it's that poverty has prevented the table from filling up with food, or alcohol or drugs that have so preoccupied the parents (or children!) that they have no interest in family interaction over a cup of cocoa. Perhaps it's that the children have been so busy with school, sports, day care, dance, or some other "leisure" activity that they have not had time for the foolish pastime of making wrapping paper -- and anyway, isn't it better to buy the shiny foil kind? Perhaps it's that phone calls, or business, or career pursuits, or sickness have stolen the time away from Christmas trees and gingerbread. Perhaps it's that our "what's in it for me?" society has conditioned us to rip open our boxes as quickly as possible, ignoring others who are similarly occupied. Perhaps it's that we have become so accustomed in our world to strife and quarrels that we accept chaos as a way of life. Or perhaps it's just that we live in an imperfect world, where things go wrong for no discernable reason. 

But then, Mary and Joseph didn't have it so good, either. The "cozy barn" was most probably a dark, stuffy cave or a lean-to behind the in, redolent with the odors of sheep and goats and chickens, unbathed and unperfumed. The birth was not antiseptic; Mary was likely exhausted and disheveled from her labor, and Joseph "unclean" from contact with her birth waters and blood. Straw is not very soft, no matter how you chop it up, and an audience of rough and smelly sheepherders is the last thing I would want!

Yet this is the world that our Savior chose to enter, as a tiny and helpless infant. Not for Him the Norman Rockwell nostalgia of twinkling lights and gentle beasts!  No, He chose to be born into the chaos of humanity, not so very different from the reality of our world today.  He chose to experience just what we experience, so that we would know His intention was to love us just as we are, and to show us a way to overcome our difficulties by His grace. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)

This is the greatest concession He could have made for us, this identification with our condition. Because we know that Jesus understands, we can trust Him enough to draw near and receive the gift of salvation from Him.  The very chaos of His experience reminds us of His love. 

So think this, when your Norman Rockwell visions of the perfect Christmas go terribly awry. You are participating in Jesus' Choice! You are experiencing what He did, and in some small way, identifying with His suffering on the cross. May it be a comfort to you, as your Christmas tree falls sideways and you slip your gift into a red and green paper bag, to know that Jesus accepted frustration and pain in order to give you the best, most carefully chosen and perfectly suited-to-your-needs gift of all, the gift of salvation. 

Have a most Merry and Blessed Christmas!