Emmanuel: God With Us

Since the beginning of December, I have been searching for Jesus.

One of our neighbors has a Christmas display in their front yard complete with Santa Claus, his reindeer, snowmen, candy canes and brightly colored lights. I can assure you that it's quite festive. Jesus even makes an appearance in the yard, but after our recent winter storm, all you can see are Mary and Joseph staring down at the drifted snow.


I thought it was an interesting metaphor: Jesus came at Christmas but ended up being buried by the season.

I have seen other displays where Jesus is attended by reindeer rather than cattle, or where snowmen, Santa Claus, and the Nutcracker guard the baby instead of the wise men. Jesus has begun to keep some strange company at this time of year, not at all like the porcelain manger scene above my parent's fireplace.

With the voice of past generations I want to lament that Christmas has become too commercial. Then again, maybe this isn't that far from how Jesus lived when He came to earth. After all, He did associate with the kinds of people we didn't expect Him to, and He went to great lengths to keep people from promoting Him for the wrong reasons. On more than one occasion, He warned people not to tell about His miracles, lest the masses try to use His power for their personal gain. Is it worth putting Christ back in Christmas if all it means is a boost to the economy? Is this the only battle that Christians have worth fighting?

In his book, The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne talks about a homeless group he lived with in Philadelphia. For Christmas, a church sent them a carton of microwave popcorn, not thinking about the fact that homeless people typically do not have electricity, let alone a microwave. The local mafia who were more familiar with their situation sent bicycles and coats for the children. Who do you think showed them greater love? Without associating with someone and understanding their needs, it's difficult to love them.

When Jesus came to earth, He demonstrated love by associating with us and getting to know us. Understanding our greatest need, He gave us Himself. Maybe we should welcome Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph to the manger to remind us to love the real people around us.