Christmas

For as long as I can remember, it has been a Stephens' family tradition to read the biblical account of Jesus' birth following the candle lit service at Grant Memorial Baptist Church on Christmas eve.

Seeing as how this is the first year in recent memory that I have not joined my family for a frigid Yuletide in Winnipeg, albeit 12 hours late and in absence of the candle lit service - I decided upon awaking this morning to do the same. Beside my absent roommate's' cute miniature tree - adorned with odd ornaments like Gretzky avec Rangers uniform, Darth Vader and the Pink Panther - I cracked open my not-nearly-read-enough Bible, took a sip of my lukewarm Bailey's and coffee (instant, of course: Second Cup is closed) and turned to the first chapter of Matthew, skipping the long, boring and theologically important genealogy (So and so begat so and so).

Whether you buy into it or not, when stripped down, the story is pretty simple, fascinating and would make for an interesting movie (immaculate conception, unique GPS, mass infanticide and a dash of frankincense).

The Story
Prior to consummating their marriage, Joseph finds out his lovely bride-to-be, Mary is pregnant, a plot thickener no doubt. Being what the text offers as a righteous man, Joseph decides he's going to divorce her - another paragraph says "while he was trying to figure a way out..." - but is then visited by an angel in a dream who gives him the details: there had been no drunken carousing with another one of the town carpenters...rather, it was the Holy Spirit that had impregnated his fiance. "...do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife," the angel explains, "she will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

And you thought you had some messed up dreams.

Imagine if you will, guys, finding out that your fiance is pregnant. An exciting thing to be sure...if the two of you had been intimate - it's Christmas, so I'm choosing light terminology. I suspect, unless she was an absolute angel whom you'd never witnessed a bit tipsy and flirting with your friends, you'd be a little pissed off and hurt. Chances are good, like Joseph, you'd be ready to load up the donkey and move out of the shack. You might even send an email to Maury Povich.

And then the dream. Today, we'd write such a thing off as emotional distress: the angel represents such and such, the Holy Spirit a manifestation of the pain of betrayal or some gibberish. Nevertheless, Joseph does what he is told, or commanded, and off they go to Bethlehem, although the reason for the trip (the census) isn't mentioned in Matthew, only in the gospel of Luke.

(Note: the biblical text is confusing as hell. It's the first time I've actually understood the whole "if the biblical text was manufactured, you'd think they'd have polished it up a bit" argument.)

[Enter an interesting supporting character] King Herod is one crafty mofo. After learning that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, he arranges a sit down with the Magi (wise men or scholars) and tells them that they should continue to follow the now infamous star and then report back to him, so that he too could go and "worship". Of course, he had zero intention of doing so. When they, being wise men and all, clue in to his real intentions (the aforementioned mass infanticide, which he later carries out), they exit stage left - after presenting the baby with gold, frankincense and myrrh - without so much as sending the good king a text message. The Christ family then splits Bethlehem for Egypt, only to return after Herod's passing.

And that's Matthew's account...

Now while it might seem that I have an aversion to mangers and shepherds, let me be clear that I am not, although I am allergic to hay. When combined, the two gospels make for a much more well rounded story, including an angelic choir and the Inn sans vacancy. But what then is the point of Christmas? It would seem that whether or not there were goats present at the manger birth, or if the baby Jesus was wrapped in "swaddling clothes", the story is much bigger than the ever present Nativity scene perched upon the piano in the Stephens living room each December could ever possibly capture.

You see, despite what marketers have done to Christmas, or Xmas as we'd seemingly rather call it (easier to text and write, I guess), it isn't about dysfunctional family gatherings, credit card debt, a 70% Off Diesel Boxing Day event , or work parties that lead to lengthy conversations with HR departments. Rather, because of Jesus birth, and that one thing alone, it has cosmic significance. Why? Because if the story is true, that same cute baby depicted in the school plays hung on a cross as a criminal thirty something years later after saying some pretty profound things. Things that rubbed and continue to rub a lot of people the wrong way. Things that all of us can either accept or reject, but either way need at some point to make a decision on. And even though Christians have made a bloody mess of the whole thing, and the atheists have chosen not to believe, Christmas - the event, not the day - like it or not, is a turning point for all of us. Either way has consequences.

And so, as you sit alone, or celebrate with friends or family today, take a moment to reflect. What and why do you believe what you do? And how does it impact your life?

Merry Christmas all.