Christmas in the Midst of a Pandemic
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30-33
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men,[a] he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.[b] Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”- Matthew 2:16-18
Advent/ Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year: I love looking at Nativity scenes: the inflatable ones that people place outside their homes, the toy ones that children play with, the more elaborate ones from churches, and paintings. I also, in general, love the hoopla around Christmas. Yeah, sure, the pressure to buy the perfect or most expensive gifts grate on my nerves and often necessitates me ignoring the constant bombardment of ads and commercials that occur this time of the year, but I love Christmas.
I love looking at Christmas lights. I appreciate those who go all out in decorating their houses/apartments/living spaces. I love buying warm, fuzzy Christmas PJS that I will wear as long as it is freezing cold. I love Christmas trees and the various ways people decorate them. I also love attending (in person) Advent and Christmas Eve services.
Make no mistake, Jesus’ birth and the events surrounding it have been sanitized and beautified. I doubt people, me included, would find nativity scenes so beautiful if they were depicted in all of its messiness and smelliness. And most of the time, I don’t actually mind the sanitized presentations of “The Christmas story.” I also don’t (usually) mind the way that the different gospel stories recounting Jesus’ birth have been combined and differences erased. And of course, Jesus wasn’t actually born on December 25th, but that also doesn’t faze me.
But 2020 has put a damper on the holidays, at least, for those of us taking the pandemic seriously and not continuing life as usual. People who normally go all out and decorate their living spaces are finding it difficult to muster up the energy, time, and/or money to do so. Churches that take seriously the mandate to love one’s neighbors are holding virtual services. These services are beautiful and I appreciate the hard work that the pastors and staff put into them, but they are not the same.
And many people are finding their holiday celebrations much more muted. This season, many Christians find celebrating the birth of Christ to be much more painful and difficult. This isn’t how Christmas is supposed to be. We want the bright lights, the Christmas parties, the packed churches, and the sanitized nativity scenes.
But what if, Christmas 2020, instead being seen as a wash and a disappointment, be viewed as enabling us to get closer to the actual events surrounding Jesus’ birth. We often celebrate Jesus’ birth as a happy time, a time where God breaks into our world in the form of a tiny baby. And yes, that is good news. But the thing is, God didn’t come into the world because everything was perfect. And Jesus’ birth was not in fact perfect. It was messy. It didn’t take place in a palace but probably in a small, cramped house, whose lower floor was dedicated to housing animals. And imagine giving birth in the 1st century, where medical care was extremely limited. Child birth, (at least from what I’ve heard) in the 21st century is a complicated, painful, and (usually) a long process. Imagine birth in the 1st century?
And the events surrounding Jesus’ birth were not in fact particularly happy. We typically imagine the birth of a child to be one of excitement and happiness. Parents, families and friends wait in anticipation to meet the child and can’t wait to watch the child grow. And those who have the means, try to make the arrival of the child as perfect as possible with toys, crib, clothes, etc. One would expect the birth of God to be an even bigger event where all those who heard the news would be thrilled. Unfortunately, that isn’t what happens.
Jesus, isn’t born into a perfect world of justice and harmony but in the time of empire where violence, poverty, oppression, and injustice is prevails. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus have to flee into Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod. While Jesus is kept safe, other babies and toddlers die as a result of Herod’s greed and desire to hold onto power. Pain and death accompany the birth of Jesus.
Jesus’ birth was a time of confusing and suffering. Imagine the fear and terror of Mary and Joseph. They are charged with taking care of God. God often depicted in the Biblical text as powerful and mighty, is at this moment, a helpless, tiny baby. And they are responsible for protecting God from the murderous rage of a King who had the wealth and resources of the empire at his fingertips. No pressure.
Additionally, consider the mourning and grief of those whose babies were killed by Herod, for no particular reason. They must have wondered why and desperately pleaded with the soldiers, (who might justify their actions by claiming they were ‘just carrying out their orders,’) that this child is not the one they are looking for.
In sanitized renderings of Jesus’ birth, the focus is on an adorable baby surrounded by Mary, Joseph, and cute farm animals and shepherds and magi paying their respect to Jesus. In this version of Jesus’ birth there is no room to discuss the violent actions of a brutal king or the fear that enveloped Mary and Joseph as they flee. This part of Jesus’ birth goes against the joyful, optimistic, spirit that typically pervades Christmas.
But in 2020 such optimism seems at best misplaced and at worst shallow. In 2020 we need a Christmas story that encompasses the fullness of human life. That provides space, yes for hope but also for grief and mourning. Jesus’ birth is significant and hopeful because it takes place in the midst of empire. God comes to earth in the midst of poverty, violence, and uncertainty. God decides to physically join and participate in a suffering world. And yet as hopeful as this message is-there is still room for tragedy and grief. God comes to earth and yet the violence and pain doesn’t stop. In fact, it seems to accelerate as the empire does all it can to remain in power.
In 2020 we need to embrace the joy and hope and the messiness and grief surrounding Jesus’ birth. Jesus’ birth was a time of hopeful anticipation as God came to earth but also sadness and mourning. It was a time of injustice and isolation. It was a time not unlike ours. And that’s what we need to hear this Christmas. That God journeys with us in our pain and suffering.
