“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:31-33).
Well, it’s Christmas afternoon. First thing this morning the kids rustled you out of bed to play Christmas. While drinking coffee and eating leftover cookies, the gifts were passed around and everyone celebrated their favorite Christmas tradition – opening presents. Then, while someone was appointed to clean the mess, mom made her way to the kitchen to prepare the Christmas dinner. About noon, a few family guests arrived, and everyone shared Christmas joy and the Christmas meal. Everyone is gone now. The kids are busy playing with their new X-box, and after cleaning the kitchen and dining room you are settled down to watch an afternoon ball game, or take a nap. Christmas is over.
NO! Christmas is not over; it’s just beginning. This is the first day of Christmas. In the Christian tradition there are twelve days of Christmas. During these twelve days we are encouraged to reflect about the rest of the story. Luke tells us that the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple to be circumcised
During this visit to the Temple, the priest Simeon declared, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32 NASB). The child of Mary reveals to all humanity the glory of God. A later Christian preacher explained, “… He is the radiance of His glory, and the exact representation of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3 NASB). Christmas is about theology. We celebrate Christmas so that we may be reminded that Jesus is “eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.” On the day of the presentation “he was called Jesus,” that is Yahweh saves.
There is another story on which we should reflect upon during the days of Christmas – Herod’s slaughter of the sons of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13-18). The joyful singing of the angels on Christmas was followed by “wailing and loud lamentation” as the mothers of Bethlehem grieved over their murdered sons. These “holy innocents” are the first martyrs for the Gospel.
It’s a horrible story that reminds us of the corruption of powerful men and women in this present age. If we will listen carefully, we can still hear the voices of lamentation in the world. Paul wrote, “…the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now… even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22-23). We should remember that Jesus means “Yahweh saves” and the salvation of those who lament is the reason for Christmas. Our Nicene confession of faith says that “ For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.” In Christ, God has embraced the suffering of humanity. Even as we sing the songs of Christmas, we should be moved with compassion for those who suffer in this present age.
The persecution of Christ continued. Because of Herod’s threat, Joseph was told by the angel to move the holy family to Egypt. Ancient Christian tradition tells us that the family lived in Alexandria for a few years. The tradition refers to this period as “the exile.” As the personification of Israel’s hopes, the divine-human son identified with their exilic experiences – Egyptian and Babylonian. But there is more here. The Incarnation itself was an exile of sorts for the Son. Paul wrote, “although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7 NASB). The exile motif is important for believers. Because we have believed, Jesus warned us that the world will hate us (John 15:19). Peter writes that Christians are “aliens and strangers” in this present world (1 Peter 2:11). This present age is not home. Because we are exiles, we should be careful to embrace the exiles (and immigrants) among us (Exodus 22:21).
No, Christmas is not over. Gabriel prophesied: “His kingdom will have no end.” Advent begins with apocalyptic readings from the Gospels. Christmas is an eschatological event. Again, let’s consider the words of our Nicene confession of faith: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” Christmas began with the angel Gabriel’s annunciation to the Virgin Mary and will be consummated with “the voice of the archangel” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The eschatological vision of Christmas is presented in the Revelation of John:
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne (Revelation 12:1-5).
The Apocalypse tells the redemptive story in one paragraph. The seed of this vision is found in Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” We must understand that Christmas is not one event in the story of salvation – Christmas is the story of salvation. From Genesis to Revelation the redemptive narrative is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The apocalyptic vision of Revelation 12 puts Christmas in a context of cosmic warfare (the cross) and ultimate victory (the resurrection and ascension). In this present age, there are many Herods (antichrists); and there are many persecuted believers. The battle rages. As we sing the song of the angels – “Glory to God in the highest…” – let us also listen carefully for the sound of the trumpet.
