Christmas, for many can serve to remind us of the tragic in our lives. Awkward family gathering, an estranged relationship, even the reminder of a lost loved one or ongoing crisis. It can become a long, dull and tiring string of gatherings and parties, not to mention the often self inflicted moments of guilt associated with gift-giving. To the extent that these realities are able crouch, they can easily begin to strangle the life out of Christmas. I love how Brennan Manning reverses all this in his book Lion and Lamb:
Christmas is a faith-experience that enables us to see beyond the tragic in our lives. It is a reminder that we need the laughter of God to prevent us from taking the world too seriously, the world of cerebral head trips played in dead earnest, the game of one-upmanship escalated to mortal combat, the illusions of self-importance. (Lion & Lamb, Brennan Manning, 158)
May we engage this season, parties, gatherings and all from this perspective...
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