Love, joy, wonder and amazement surround Christmas. In the story of Jesus’ birth in St. Luke’s Gospel, the angel tells the shepherds, terrified by what they were experiencing, that they should not be afraid because they were about to something quite amazing: ‘news of great joy.’ After the shepherds were told about the birth of Jesus, who was described as Saviour and Messiah, the heavens erupted with joy and praise. The shepherds rushed to Bethlehem to see the newborn and after telling their story, all who heard it were amazed.
Christmas carols pick up these breathless emotions: ‘O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,’ ‘Angels from the realms of glory,’ ‘A great and mighty wonder,’ ‘Love came down at Christmas-time’ to name but a few.
Children experience these emotions naturally and instinctively. That new bicycle at Christmas, greeting a parent returning from work, watching a colourful firework display – any of these can elicit from them joy, wonder, amazement and love. They are emotions that take us out of ourselves, enabling us to experience what lies before us as though for the first time. They come from deep within and we have no control over when and from where they come.
But as we get older, more cynical and consider the injustices and barbarity of what is happening in the world around us, we can easily lose faith in love, joy, awe, wonder and amazement. If this happens, we lose touch with an important part of our humanity.
Celebrating Christmas provides an opportunity of re-focusing, wiping the steam off our lenses and seeing the world afresh. If we can hear the story of Jesus’ birth, told in the Bible and sung in carols, afresh, as though for the first time, we can again get in touch with those feelings of joy, awe, wonder and amazement and see behind the Christmas story God’s love for the whole of creation, in particular for the marginalised, the little ones and those who believe they are unloved or unworthy. This will help us see all around us through different eyes – it will help us see the created world through different eyes. Finally, it will help us see ourselves through different eyes. And seeing differently can change our actions and attitudes.
Wishing you every blessing this Christmas.
Image by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.
Bishop Brian Castle 