I Still Believe in Christmas

Can Christmas be boycotted? I like to think so. I want to know so. Is that even a “thing”? I long to hold it tightly and believe in the real possibility.

Boycott maybe isn’t the right word. It’s not that I don’t like or even love Christmas. I do. I love all the traditions and feelings, the gift exchanges and the meaning and warmth that sits along side them. Truly.

Christmas used to be my favourite time of year. Wrapping, baking, decorating, hiding gifts, surprising loved ones – family. And celebrating the most beautiful gift, Jesus. Beholding the beautiful treasure of the humble babe in a manger. Mary, Joseph and baby – family. Carols, choirs, pageants, nativities, concerts and communion – family. Turkey dinners and pumpkin pie. Strings of soft glowing lights. Ganong chocolates and crunchy chicken bone candies galore. Red velvet dresses and plaid bow ties – and family.

So maybe what I really want is to avoid it. Side-step December. Bury my head til January. Because loss equals pain and pain is something that I want to avoid.

Maybe I can learn to make peace with it somehow. I mean that’s what Jesus came for, didn’t He? To bring peace? Hope? His Presence? Peace and hope are His gifts to us.

How we need them. How I need them. Especially in the pain and loss and hurt. Peace in the pain. Hope in the hurt. Love sitting with loss. Emmanuel, God with us, offering His presence. Offering His presents.

God with us in the pain. And with the lost and broken and sad. The sadly broken. I’ll hold onto the babe in the manger who arrived with gifts of salvation and mercy, kindness and love, PEACE and HOPE. I’ll lay down my avoidance and my broken heart and let Him heal me. His arms stretched wide to offer the most beautiful gift of saving grace. Inviting me to open my arms wide to receive Him.

To surrender the painful hurt and brokenness to the Beautiful Healer. To surrender avoidance. To receive and welcome the Beautiful Holy babe. So with my eyes and heart solely focused on Him I will welcome the season of Advent wonder and the Hope-giving Babe.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

Babe of Mary
Gentle Saviour
Come sweet Emmanuel – the Beautiful One
Into my world.
Into OUR world.
With an open heart I welcome You.
Come.

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I still believe in Christmas by Anne Wilson

The choir’s singing carols
Bells are ringing , streets are bright
It’s Christmas all around me
So why is Christmas hard to find ?
December snow is falling down like I am to my knees
I could use some hope right now
‘Cause right now hope is hard to see
Help me still believe

For God so loved this broken world
He sent His only Son
To a carpenter and a teenage girl
To show us all His love
He left His home in heaven
To make Heaven my home
My Emmanuel is with me
And I’ll never be alone
Down here my heart can’t find much to believe in
But I still believe in Christmas.

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