Rethinking Christmas

Rethinking Christmas

Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these… John 14:12

Christmas is a celebration of the Christ. It is also a celebration of the birth of Jesus. And while the two are One, they are not identical. Yes, Jesus manifested the qualities of the Christ throughout his ministry. And yes, Jesus modeled what it means to have the Spirit of God working in and through human flesh, which is what the title of Christ signifies. But religious presentations of Christmas and of the subsequent life and teachings of Jesus have evolved into presentations of Jesus as super-human, which is a far cry from how Jesus referred to and presented himself, particularly in relation to us. The birth of Jesus is commonly presented in ways eerily similar to how the births of kings and emperors of his day were presented – as a person extraordinary and divine – to mythically portray how unlike the rest of us they were. Virgin births, titles of Savior, references to being the Son of God and the anointed of God were common narratives told, retrospectively, of the lives of governing sovereigns to indicate their uber-human superiority. Kings and emperors did not seek followers, however, nor did they treat others as equals. They sought subjects and slaves.

While God is certainly capable of performing works infinitely beyond human abilities, God does not typically work that way. In my experience, God most often works through ordinary human beings with ordinary talents in ordinary circumstances, both today and throughout the Bible. So, yes, Jesus may have been conceived in Mary by the Spirit with no human sexual activity. But is a virgin birth required for us to believe in God’s power or to accept Jesus as worthy of following? Is ordinary impregnation via the sexual act and the birth of a baby any less miraculous? We forget what an incredible wonder the creation of a new human being is because it is so commonplace. How could we, mere and un-divine mortals, initiate or participate in such a process? Further, are any living, breathing, and consciously aware beings not also endowed with the Spirit of God? Without Spirit we would be lifeless blobs of earthly matter. Are we lowly humans capable of rivaling the miracles and other healing works of Jesus? According to traditional presentations of the birth and life of Jesus, our birth and lineage are too ordinary for such extraordinary feats.

But Jesus disagreed. In John 14, he says not only are we capable of doing what he did, but of even greater works. In John 17 he prays for us to awaken to our oneness with him so we can all be one together with him in God. In his instruction on prayer in Matthew 6, he says Our Father, not My (as in his) Father. In John 15 he calls us friends, not servants. The power Jesus manifested was that of God working through his human flesh. The birth, life, and teachings of Jesus are invitations for us to do the same. Jesus recognized and completely sold out to his oneness with God, so he manifested Emmanuel – God with him – completely. For our part, we doubt. We assume we are not worthy. We are too ordinary. We are more comfortable worshiping Jesus for his extraordinariness – something he never requested or encouraged – instead of selling out to our oneness with God and actually following him. The price is too high for most of us because it requires everything we typically value. Regardless, that is what Jesus asks. That is how the Christ becomes incarnate in us, as it did in Jesus.

The power of the Spirit of God is already present in us and has been from the beginning. Divine expression is an inside job, meaning it lies dormant in us waiting to emerge. We do not earn or develop it. We allow its emergence by eliminating that which blocks its flow through us. When Spirit is allowed to flow freely from God through us and on to others, the Love of God blesses and heals the lives around us, as it did with Jesus. Jesus always deflected the glory to God, as should we, for it is God’s power, not ours, doing the work.

This Christmas, as we again hear the traditional tellings of the birth of Jesus, may we also hear an invitation to take our place in the story, not as subjects, observers, or worshipers of Jesus, but as followers willing to work side-by-side to bring the kingdom of God to earth in the manner of the Christ – with the Spirit working through our flesh.

The opinions expressed are mine. To engage with me or to explore contemplative spiritual direction, contact me at ghildenbrand@sunflower.com.

Upcoming Contemplative Events, free and open to all:

Contemplative Advent Class: Exploring Christmas through a different lens. Saturday mornings at 9:30 am, December 2 through January 6; FUMC Celebration Center, 867 Hwy 40, Lawrence, KS.

Longest Night Service: An opportunity to reflect on loss; Thursday, December 21 at 7:00 pm; FUMC Celebration Center, 867 Hwy 40, Lawrence, KS.

Contemplative Christmas: A reflective Christmas Eve service; Sunday, December 24 at 9:30 pm; FUMC Downtown, 946 Vermont, Lawrence, KS.