Dreaming of a “white” Christmas? Me too. But what’s the point?

12. December 2008 by BruceSmith.

I confess.  I shopped on “black Friday”, and for the first time in my life.  I must admit, it was kinda fun actually.  I knocked out 90% of my Christmas shopping on that one day!  By the way, in case you did not know, “black Friday” has  nothing to do, by definition, with the supposed reality that only rank materialists love the event and thereby revel in the abuse and debasement of true Christmas.  Rather, it is called “black Friday” because it is the line of demarcation for most retailers in America whereby they go from being unprofitable (in the red) to being profitable (in the black).  So, all of you super-spiritual decriers of the cultural materialistic Friday pilgrimage, stop sermonizing the rest of us now!!O.K., now that my confession is confessed, on to the more important things.  Let’s get right to it.  Some 2,000 years ago a little baby was born on the other side of the planet, in a humble setting, surrounded by some farm animals and a few others.  That little one’s birth and life have literally changed the course of human history, and the life of that One born so long ago stands as the benchmark for our calendar.  In a literal sense, the Jesus event is the marker in time by which all other events are measured.  But, why did He show up, and what does it mean?  If you have seen the news in the last day or two you are aware that the Governor  of Illinois has been arrested on corruption charges.  He is the second Governor in a row from Illinois to be brought in for such.  Some of us down here in Louisiana are finding a sick and twisted sense of comfort from an otherwise ugly story.  Somehow, I guess, its nice to know that we are not “alone” in the race for being America’s most politically corrupt state, along with being the “unhealthiest”.  If you read any of the details of this latest scandal, you know its truly brazen.  Hot Rod, the Governor, seems to have been a very bitter, angry, and greedy individual.  As one Illinois politico stated it, “Lincoln would be rolling over in his grave”…”its a new low…”  And indeed it is.  Unfortunately for Rod, much of it is on tape.  It is very sad.You may have also seen in the news the story of the mother who invited teens to a “hooker” party.  Or you may have seen the story of William Jefferson, the Louisiana congressman, who has been under investigation for various charges.  Or you may have seen the story of O.J. Simpson, who will be serving years in prison after being found guilty of various crimes some thirteen years after the murder of his ex-wife and Ron Goldman. Or the story of Kaylee, the missing toddler, who, or so it appears, was done in by her own mother.  Or you may have seen…any countless number of stories highlighting the broken and malevolent nature of human beings.  All of this lovely, uplifting and joy-filled snowball of misery is what brings me to the question of the day.  What is the point of Christmas?  Who needs it anyway? A profound question no doubt, and one which deserves some thought.  The point is simply this: Christmas is THE reminder that we all need it, and that without which we are all off track, darkened inside, and without the refreshing hope which comes from a relationship with God.  The message of Christmas is a bit like the message those of us in the New Orleans area received yesterday when we received a historic snowfall!  We all need the white stuff in our lives.  That is to say, darkened as the heart of the human race clearly is, and as stained with cruelty, disease, and deception as the earth is, when its covered with a blanket of white, everything changes.  Each of our hearts needs that change.I am not going too far nor am I making too large a leap in brining the snowfall metaphor in view in light of this present discussion.  For, in the scriptures, we are regularly reminded of “difference” Christ makes in the lives of those who embrace Him.  More than a sweet, cuddly, gentle “baby in a manger”, He, Jesus, is the singular symbol and source of the darkest of all realities.  He was sent for our sin, do die in our place, to make a way for us back to God.  Likewise, He is THE figure which stands above and beyond all others as it relates to cleansing, renewal, truth, refreshing, and healing.  The scriptures tell us that where sin and death brought captivity, the blood of Christ, spilled upon the cross, brings healing, and the removal of the stain of darkness.  Those once covered in the dark soil of sin, the Bible and the old hymn tells us, can be made “white as snow”.  This work of Christ is viewed as a blanket of “white”, a metaphor for purity, wholeness, and vitality.  For the darkness of our souls, Christ brings the light of life, the blanket of purity which shrouds us, envelopes us, and refreshes our tired and broken spirits.One thing that all of us experienced yesterday here in the New Orleans area, especially those of us who got 4 or more inches, is the exhilarating reality of what a difference a day of white makes in our lives.  It was breath-taking to experience such wonder and fun.  What was so enchanting was not the mere fact that it snowed.  Many of us here, myself included, have no doubt traveled to various places where snow is everywhere.  But there is something totally different and thrilling when its “your snow”, in your yard, in your community, and where it just never happens.This is the sense one gets when they understand that Jesus was sent not just for the world in general, but personally and specifically for them.  What a difference it makes to know that the darkness and soiled ground of your own soul has been blanketed by the purity of Christ’s love and grace.  When the goodness of God shows up for you, its just different.This is the point of Christmas.  Jesus, sent some 2,000 years ago, was sent for YOU…and ME.  This changes your day, your life, your soul.  I could not help but think yesterday as the entire neighborhood was running around in the splendor of a truly white Christmas, “What a day a difference makes”!  Yes, I said it backwards, but for a reason.  A difference in setting changes the landscape entirely.  And that change changes everything, how you view, look at, experience everything.  When its all perceived through a veil of white, the world just looks and feels different.  That is the way it was on snow day, and that is the way it is when you understand who Jesus is and what the meaning of Christmas is.  Its all about the white, and that changes everything.  Wishing you a “white” Christmas,Bruce Smithoptimuslife.org 

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