Grace Presbyterian Church, Montclair, New Jersey

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Pastor's Pulse

by Paul Leggett, Pastor

Unwrapping Christmas

December 2008

“Comfort, o comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid.” – Isaiah 40:1

The Advent and Christmas seasons are among the most joyful and exciting times of the year.  They can also be the most harried and frustrated times of the year.  This year the economic uncertainty surrounding us has also cast a shadow over this holiday period.  Yet for some time now we as a church, and as a larger Christian community, have sought to reclaim this special time of the year, a time when we contemplate and discover anew the depths of God’s love in which he became human and took upon himself our sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) to give us forgiveness, freedom and new life.

We have pointed out many times that December 25 is not really Jesus’ birthday (he was probably born in the spring). December 25 is the birthday of Mithras, the hero god of the invincible sun. Beginning with Caesar Augustus the emperor himself took on many of the hero traits already associated with Mithras. The early church’s decision to celebrate the birth of Christ on this date was a counter-cultural move, in which they opposed the “sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2) to the invincible sun which soon merged into the cult of the emperor.

Pastor Brandi has talked about the “Advent Conspiracy” as a movement to reclaim the Christian emphasis of the season.  The original Advent Conspiracy actually was the church’s decision not to copy the culture, or to hide from it, but rather to witness to it by proclaiming the birth of the true Savior of the world. I recently went to Union Theological Seminary to do some work in the library there in preparation for the Advent season. Little did I know that the Lord had other plans for me. It turns out that a conference was being held that day on “Unwrapping Christmas.” A minister friend who works at Auburn Seminary (a Presbyterian conference center at Union) told me about the conference and directed me to it. I learned things about Christmas I never knew before. The highlight of the program was a lengthy Bible study of the Christmas story in Luke chapter 2 in the original Greek text. I assumed like most of us that I knew that story. I discovered there was much I did not know. I will be sharing many of these insights throughout the Advent and Christmas season here at Grace. Just for starters here are some facts about the familiar Christmas story you many not know:

• The shepherds “keeping watch over their flocks by night” actually lived in the fields. They were essentially homeless. The statement that there was “no place” for Mary and Joseph therefore directly links them to the shepherds who also had “no place” except the open fields.
• The angels’ announcement is full of phrases that had been used about Caesar Augustus, “good news,” “savior,” “Lord,” “peace on earth,” to show that Caesar, the false Lord, was being displaced by the true Lord.
• The shepherds are literally visited by a “multitude of the heavenly army.”

We will explore these themes and and many others as we begin these critical days of Advent.  Join us as we worship together.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!