True Meaning of Christmas

Advent – Christmas – Epiphany

The Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season that we celebrate as Christians is not just an observance of events that happened long ago.  It is not a sentimental birthday of the “baby Jesus”.  We need to take stock of what that baby Jesus was here for.  When we see the baby and the birth, the adult Jesus, His execution and His resurrection are also in sight.

          Advent is a time of joyful anticipation of the realization of God’s promise.  It is a grace-filled season of new hope, new life, and new love.  There is a sense of urgency in Advent that wakes us up from our complacency.  Advent should challenge us to prepare ourselves and our world for the full coming of the kingdom of peace and justice.

          Advent marks the end of one liturgical year and the beginning of a new liturgical year … endings and new beginnings.

          The barren birch tree at the back of the church represents the changing of the seasons.  The leaves have fallen, the flowers have died, and the fields are frozen.  Next spring, the rains will bring forth new buds, flowers and grass.

          As the seasons change, we too must change.  Jesus has shown us that we must grow in love:  love of God, love of our brothers, love of ourselves.  He has taught us by His actions to be kind, gentle, patient and giving to all people we encounter.  This was His mission and it must be our mission also.

          Jesus came to us in Bethlehem to renew the world in love and justice.  Christ will come again to fulfill God’s promise of love and justice.  During this Advent, let Jesus come to us in our hearts so that we may help to build the kingdom of love, peace and justice. 

 And the Word became flesh

       As you stop to look at the Nativity Scene at the back of the church, you probably will notice the shadow of the Risen Lord overlooking the Crèche.  It is to remind us that the birth of Jesus is but the first step in his journey on earth:  his birth, his good works, his teachings, his suffering, his death, his resurrection and his ascension.  This journey has brought him back to his Father in heaven.

During his life on earth, Jesus has taught us to know God the Father and to live our lives in such a way that we too will join him and the Father for eternity.

During Advent, we prepare for God’s coming into the world.  At Christmas, we celebrate the beginning of the mission of Christ, which will secure eternal life for each and every person.

It is not enough to look at the Baby Jesus in the Crib.  We must look beyond and see the whole of Jesus’ life.  God the Son, the baby in the manger enters our humanity and changes the world.  He transforms each one of us so that we, in turn can transform our world by loving and caring for each other.

We are challenged at Christmas to do what Jesus and the angels did:  bring the good news to the lowly and the outcast.  The “tidings of great joy are to be shared by the whole people” and no one is to be left out.

Therefore, we cannot look at Jesus in the manger and not see the whole journey from birth to resurrection.

“In the beginning was the Word … and the Word became flesh and lived among us”  John 1:1-14

Epiphany

The word epiphany means manifestation, appearance, or revelation.  Especially during the dark days of winter, we look for an epiphany to get us through the darkness.  We capitalize on the moments of sunshine breaking through thick clouds, a break from the bitter cold by milder temperatures, a full moon to guide us on the highway at night, acts of kindness and generosity during a season where want is keenly felt.

How do we look upon these events?  Are they cherished and appreciated, or are they reacted to with indifference?  These epiphanies are meant to give us hope.  They help us to journey toward the stable.

The magi were given a glimpse of this Light.  Starlight led them to the place where Jesus was born.  “The star they had seen rising went forward and halted over the place where the child was.  The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they fell to their knees and did him homage”.  There is no record what the magi did after their visit, but we assume that their lives must have been radically changed.  Perhaps the visit gave them renewed hope, comfort and peace.  Maybe the epiphany they experienced encouraged them to go back and open the treasures of their own hearts for others.  We are encouraged to do the same, for that is what the Spirit of Epiphany asks us to do. 

Epiphany urges us to follow the Bethlehem Star, the Light of the World.  It invites us to be starlight for others in a world darkened by clouds of war, the cold of prejudice, and the darkness of depression.  The star will guide you and bring you to the stable of your own heart.  It is in your heart where hope is born, and peace is its first breath.

 When you come to behold this power,open your treasures for the world.