Whatever Happened to Christmas?

by Pastor Frank Rice

It’s happened to all of us. We have friends or relatives we haven’t seen for years. Something triggers a thought or memory of the person, and we muse, “I wonder whatever happened to so-and-so?” We bump into them later and hardly recognize them! They don’t look like they used to look; they’ve changed so much, usually not for the better! So, what did the “first Christmas” look like?

❖      We would agree that there are particular sounds, sights, and smells which we now associate with Christmas, but were very unlikely to be present initially!

1. The familiar sounds of Christmas were not carols sung by carolers, music sung by choirs, busy shoppers & crowded sidewalks, silver bells, or our favorite plays or movies!
2. The familiar sights of Christmas did not include beautifully displayed lights, softly falling snow, reindeer, folks dressed up like Eskimos, colorfully wrapped presents, or delightfully decorated pine trees.
3. The familiar smells of Christmas were not chestnuts roasting on an open fire, the scent of pine needles, pies, cookies and cakes, roasted turkey, or scented candles…

❖      We would heartily agree that most of the above items, like a host of other things, are not necessarily bad!

1. Pillows and blankets have been known to suffocate people!
2. Building materials have been known to bury people.
3. Ocean waves have been known to drown people!

❖      Would we agree that when all the “stuff” that makes Christmas so special for most is removed, there’s not much left?

1. That’s the point! And that’s the problem!
2. And that’s why Christmas is so depressing and disruptive for so many!

❖      Matthew records some essentials of the 1^st Christmas (1:18-25).

1. There was a young couple most likely discussing what seemed like an illegitimate pregnancy and God’s righteous response to such a situation.
2. On multiple occasions angels appeared to deliver messages to the “key players” in the Christmas drama; the “untouched” young lady (v. 18), the prospective husband, the shepherds.
3. Then the aforementioned Child arrives, a Son, and they follow the directions of the angel; Joseph names Him Jesus.
4. That is all we know of the accoutrements of Christmas from Matthew’s account! Not as much as we might expect!
5. BTW, the wise men didn’t show up until a few months later to visit the couple and the Child in their home (Matt 2:11).

❖      Luke provides us with a more detailed account of the essentials of the 1^st Christmas (1:26-38 & 2:1-20).

1. He begins with an announcement to a young virgin, telling her she’s going to have a baby and assuring her that things will go as planned by a sovereign, compassionate God.
2. This young lady then sings a Christmas song loaded with prophetic insight!
3. We envision a young couple traveling to and thru the crowded and darkened streets of Bethlehem, being turned away from lodging and finally bedding down in a stable.
4. We envision the angels, the shepherds, and their unplanned trip to see what’s going on under the star.
5. We see them kneeling at the manger, fascinated at what the angels had announced. And then talking excitedly to all who were within earshot about what they’d just experienced.

❖      The sounds, smells, and sights of Christmas…!

1. There’s a lot of quietness as people reflect on their various assignments in the Christmas drama. We hear voices of angels, bustling crowds in Bethlehem, noises of animals, the groans of a mother in labor, and the soft cry of the Newborn.
2. The smells of Christmas were culturally very familiar, not as repugnant as moderns imagine; sheep, shepherds, stable.
3. There is stark simplicity in what we see: the shepherds, stars, angels, sheep, a stable, a donkey, a manger, the young couple, and the Baby. Yes, the Baby, without which there would be no Christmas!

All the stuff of Christmas is not necessarily bad,

unless it suffocates, buries, and drowns out the real meaning of Christmas.

When Jesus is the only “thing” left in your Christmas,

Christmas will still be Christmas!