Recently my son Jack has become very interested in Star Wars. He enjoys watching the movies, he loves to play with Star Wars toys, he frequently asks for Star Wars coloring pages, and he loves to have lightsaber fights. Yoda and Darth Vader are as common in his conversations as his two brothers are.
He is truly passionate about Star Wars. This newfound interest has coincided with another passion of his: Angry Birds. He loves to play Angry Birds games on our iPad. He has Angry Birds toys and Angry Birds are a frequent topic of conversation. So, with these two passions of his, you can imagine Jack’s exuberance when a new game was released: Angry Birds Star Wars. Not a joke.
For Jack, the only thing better than Angry Birds and Star Wars separately, is Angry Birds and Star Wars together.
This may seem like a leap, but this comical combination makes me think about Christmas. For those of us who are Christians, Christmas can feel like a mash-up of two separate passions. On the one hand, we love Jesus, we love nativity sets, we love “Hark! the Herald Angel Sing” and “O Holy Night,” and we love reading the biblical Christmas story with our families. On the other hand, we love presents, we love trees, we love songs like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and we love to watch “Elf” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” And each Christmas allows us an opportunity to combine these two passions as we celebrate throughout December.
Here is the question: Does this combination enhance these two celebrations or does it water them down? In other words, is this more like combining chocolate and peanut butter or is it more like watering down a soda? In an effort to get the best of everything, are we in danger of burying something beautiful?
Now, I love presents and carols and Christmas decorations. This article is not intended to convince anyone to shun these modern Christmas symbols. But there is a concern here. If we really believe that the biblical Christmas story is about God meeting our deepest needs through the gift of his Son, Jesus, then it makes sense that we would do all that we could to emphasize that reality and guard against anything that would water it down.
In 2 Corinthians 8:9, the apostle Paul describes the message of the biblical Christmas story: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” The Christmas story is not about gaining presents, outspending each other, and experiencing warm fuzzies through family traditions and shiny decorations. This is not because these things are evil, but because they only address short-term, surface needs.
The story of Jesus’ birth, however, is a story about God meeting our deepest needs of forgiveness, hope, eternal life, and reconciliation with God. As much fun as our modern Christmas celebration is, none of us would think it wise to bury foods that meet our daily nutritional needs underneath a pile of cotton candy and pixie sticks.
This Christmas at Life Bible Fellowship Church, we will walk through a series called Christmas Mash-up. We will all be invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus, not only with songs and Scripture, but by reflecting and mimicking His sacrificial and hope-giving life in our own Christmas celebrations. Join us this month and consider inviting a friend, family member, or neighbor who needs to hear about the hope Jesus brings.
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