It’s just not like Christmas!…. I’ve heard that phrase quite a bit recently. It kind of goes together with another phrase we’ve often heard in this year of the virus – i.e. “life is just not normal anymore”. Many of the “normal” Christmas and end of year events have been cancelled, deemed too difficult or impossible to conduct, given the current Government social restrictions. We are hoping these won’t mess up our plans to gather as families too much!
This can make us feel a bit “cut adrift” as we come to acknowledging and celebrating the great event of Christmas: the miracle of the Son of God being born into our world as a flesh and blood baby, who is at the same time both Saviour and Lord. Yet, just as He was present visibly in His First Coming at Christmas, and will be at His Second Coming at the end of the age, so He is present now by the power of the Holy Spirit as Redeemer of the world. This truth is clearly and comprehensively attested to in the Bible, God’s Word.
Therefore, whether we feel like it’s Christmas or not, Christ Himself is present. In order to know this, we always have to see past the accoutrements of our normal Christmas celebrations anyway,…. just as we now need to look past the absence of those normal trappings. We can and must do this, and will find that Christ is bringing to us all of His eternal truth, forgiveness and gifts of grace. We have the greatest Christmas present – i.e. His presence!
This means that, as our good friends at ALDI exhort us, we can “Go Full Christmas”!
Grace and peace, Jonathan.