Fluffy Christmas

Do you ever get the feeling, that the way we celebrate Christmas, is just a little bit. . . fluffy? Fluffy white snow, fluffy white sheep, fluffy white Cool Whip on your cocoa. . . Not that there is anything wrong with fluffy. Except when it comes to your theology. You can’t let all of this wonderful fluffiness infect how you think about Jesus.

Let me give you an example. I was listening to Christian radio this week, and the DJ was talking about that awkward feeling you get, when your buddy gives you a gift, but you haven’t gotten one for them. And I’m nodding – I’m terrible at gift-giving, so this scenario is very familiar to me. And then the DJ says, the way to conquer that bad feeling is by saying “I deserve it! I deserve that gift!”

To which I say, fuffy theology! You didn’t deserve that gift from your buddy, it was simple grace. A tiny picture of God’s grace to you. And the response to grace is not “I deserve it,” but “Wow! Thank you!”

Against my better judgment, I did not change the station. A couple songs later, the DJ did it again! This time, she was talking about how we get down on ourselves for over-eating, or over-spending, over the holidays. And again, I am nodding. So what is the remedy for those feelings? According to the DJ, all you have to do is donate to AngelTree, a charity that gives gifts to children of prisoners.

Again, fluffy theology! AngelTree is a great charity. But I don’t think they are in the business of selling indulgences. If you have feelings of guilt, the remedy is not to go donate something or do some good works. The remedy is to confess and receive Christ’s forgiveness.

You may be familiar with a poem called “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I believe Casting Crowns sings a version of this poem. The first verse goes something like this:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old, familiar carols play
And mild and sweet, the words repeat, of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Sounds a little fluffy, doesn’t it? But as it turns out, Longfellow wrote this poem in the middle of the Civil War. Longfellow’s wife was already dead, and he had just received news that his son Charley had been shot and severely injured while fighting for the Union. The poem goes on to say:

And in despair I bowed my head, “There is no peace on earth,” I said;
For hate is strong, and mocks the song, of peace on earth, good-will to men.

Fluffy theology had nothing to offer Longfellow. In fact, it has nothing to offer any of us, especially those who are suffering during the holiday season. We need to know there is a Savior for our sins, even though we don’t deserve it. We need to know that God Himself is with us, the God of blazing stars and angel armies and dirty stables and bloody justice.

Which brings us to our Scripture for the day, Matthew 1:21-23:

“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.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”