Be Merry

Christmas is a time that we remember the meaningful things that give us a reason to joyfully celebrate in our current situations. Our present life is lived in a world marred and broken. It’s a world characterized by thorns, hardships, and darkness.

I always get frustrated when I hear people say, “If they were really this happy, they would be like this all year long!” or “If they were really this generous, they would be like this all year long!” It’s frustrating because they are missing the point. Of course people aren’t this generous all year long. Of course people aren’t this happy all year long. Much of our world is not generous or happy. Many people live hard lives only to die difficult deaths. Dealing with the monotony of life can feel like a battle against meaninglessness, and we need beacons of light that give hope for a better world to come.

So, like I said, Christmas is a time that we remember the meaningful things that give us a reason to joyfully celebrate in our present life. It’s a special time and a break from the hard realities we all face on a daily basis. This holiday is a light to the darkness and a feast in the middle of famine. It is the bold declaration of a refusal to believe that death is the destiny of all things, and it is the bold statement that the rose is more permanent than the thorn and light is truer than darkness even though it so often seems otherwise.

The reason Christmas is the time for these things is because Jesus is the brightest light. In fact, he is the only true light. He is the truth and light and goodness made flesh, flooding into our world, and punching through the paper thin veil of night separating heaven and earth. He is the final nail in Death’s coffin, and at Christmas, this is what we celebrate. We celebrate the coming final victory of the light over the darkness and the coming final destruction of all that is wrong in our world. We trust that goodness and truth will one day reign in the hearts of all of humanity. At Christmas, we can laugh in the midst of darkness and play in the midst of toil because Christ has come and he is coming again.

So be merry this Christmas as you look with your heart to the world that is to come. The snow will melt, and spring will bloom.