Season's Reasons
Season's Reasons
I remember hearing for the first time, several years ago, a lovely choral arrangement of the Christmas song, "In the Bleak Midwinter." The thing that I liked most about the song is the title, or actually, the setting of the song. Now, I understand that shepherds wouldn't have been out with their flocks outside of Bethlehem on December 25th, or at least I remember being imported the fact several times. But there is something very true and beautiful about the setting of the story well within the winter season. The symbolic setting of the first advent in what I know to be the darkest, coldest, most fruitless time of the year is one that I found quite fitting. The fact is several of the Christmas hymns we often sing are set in the winter season.
That several Christmas carols set the birth of Christ in the snowy winter should not be the problem it may first appear. In the bleak midwinter of history, the Son of God humbled Himself and took the form of a servant, and was born in the likeness of men. "And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross." The setting of His second advent will be quite different, don't we know, more of a golden harvest time.
“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above all every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9–11)
Because of Him we are no longer in the dead of winter. It can be very easy for us to forget, with the zealots for middle-class morality all around us, that the point of celebrating Christmas is not to take us sentimentally back to our happy childhood but to the coming of the King. But when we feast together as family and friends for Christmas, it is not just shared memories that bind us. It is one Savior and Lord for whom we give thanks.
The world can't party like we can. They party now, for tomorrow they may die. They binge and gorge today, for tomorrow they will starve. On the other hand, we party because we have good reason to do so. The end of our feasting is not feasting itself. Our reason to celebrate goes far beyond ourselves. Our parties are not light in theme, but are heavy and rich with meaning. Unlike the world, we feast because we once were dead and are now made alive. We were slaves in a foreign land, but now we are free. We share in feasting and celebration because while we didn't deserve it God in His good and just favor chose to bless us for His own sake. We celebrate because of his honor and we celebrate in His honor. We feast on Him who feeds us. And the feasting that we do today is a mere shadow of the feast which is yet to come.
Celebrating Christmas is a mighty two edged weapon against gnosticism on one side because of the reason to celebrate – the real birth of the child who had been promised. There is nothing very gnostic about Bethlehem, shepherds, a stable or a manger. On the other side, celebrating Christmas fights gnosticism in our taking part and sharing in the good gifts. When we feast in celebration we make manifest and share the joy within our hearts.
The folks who say that we shouldn't celebrate Christmas because there is no biblical mandate to do so are by no coincidence also afraid to celebrate His resurrection and His table. So that it makes one wonder if their problem is really the reason to celebrate or the act of celebration itself. But the event being celebrated and the celebration event are not easily separated (It takes a good gnostic to do it). Celebrations and feasts unite us with the event which is the cause for such joy.
We ought to think of celebration as "doing remembrance." We remember Jesus' words of institution at the last supper and what He didn't say was, "Remember Me." He said, "This do in remembrance of Me." Even this instruction was set in the context of the Passover celebration. We are to be doers and not hearers (or thinkers) only.
Every week we do this remembrance. Every week we celebrate together as one body the virgin birth, obedient life, His resurrection, ascension and future return in glory and judgment. At His Table, we look back and forward. We look back to the slavery we were in and the Lamb who was slain. We look forward to His promised triumphant return and consummation of His kingdom. "For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (I Cor. 11:26) We eat at His table with all the saints who have come before us and all those who will yet live. And while we are looking forward and back and in every corner of the globe, He is right there with us, right now. And He celebrates with us.
In celebration of Christmas too, we can look back to the humble birth of our Savior and look forward to the ripe harvest of our Redeemer. We can look back to the coming of the Promised One and look forward to His promised return.
We have many occasions to feast before the Lord. But we have just one reason for all seasons. When we celebrate Christmas and Resurrection Sunday and Reformation Day and wedding receptions and baptismal parties and we feast at the Lord's Table on any given Sunday, we have just one guest of honor and we have just one food to eat.
There is nothing to eat,
—William Carlos Williams
Seek it where you will
But of the body of the Lord.