The Perfect Christmas

Today’s message was written by my friend, Rev. Tasha Blackburn.

I wonder if you are ever anxious about getting Christmas “perfect.” Certainly, the theme of lots of holiday movies tells us this is something to worry about. If this has been a concern for you, I want to remind you today of the first Christmas.

The way Luke tells it, he wants you to know two things for certain. First, Jesus and his family were oppressed. The Roman Empire had its thumb on Mary and Joseph, forcing them to travel to register with Rome so they could be taxed even further by their foreign overseer. Luke wants us to know that the first Christmas occurs in the shadow of oppression.

Second, Jesus is born into a family that is in danger. We know this by the mere fact that Mary traveled with Joseph at all. Why would she do that when a baby was due? Only Joseph needed to go. Did she go because she was in danger if she didn’t? Under the law, Mary could have been stoned for being pregnant with another man’s child. So, she stayed close to Joseph and he stayed close to her because, that first Christmas there was danger in the air.

Oppression and danger, Luke tells us is the setting for the first Christmas. This means the conditions were far from perfect and yet God sent his Son anyway. Maybe, not “anyway.” Maybe because conditions were far from perfect; maybe that is why God sent his Son that first Christmas. And every Christmas since. Because Christmas is most fully Christmas, at its most perfect, when Jesus shows up in the middle of whatever we face.

Let’s pray: This Christmas, Jesus, help me remember it is about you. It is not about getting it perfect or getting my life cleaned up enough for it. Remind me again that it is about you, that all of my life is about you—you showing up for me and for this world in the middle of our mess. Amen.