I declare Christmas
Our church has a motto that we say. We stole it from a t-shirt that we saw in Outreach Magazine over 10 years ago.
Don’t just go to church. Be the church.
We’ve shortened that over the years to “be the church.” One of our early iterations of a shirt had “Don’t go to church” on the front, and “Be the church” on the back. I was wearing that shirt at the grocery store one day, and the elderly checker glanced at it and frowned. “I don’t like that,” she said.
I smiled and turned around to let her read the back. She still wasn’t having it. Her frown followed me out of the store. I felt like a heretic.
We paired the phrase with this passage:
[God gave leaders to the church]… “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.”1
The role of pastors, ministers and church staff and leaders is to equip the members of the church to… be the church of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 teaches us that we are the body of Christ in our world.
That’s what we want to communicate and model, and as we live our daily lives for the express purpose of blessing others and reflecting the character of Jesus, we see remarkable things happen through the church.
What does it mean to “be Christmas?”
For the past several years, I treat December 1 as a mile marker in my year and life. I intentionally take a deep breath and spend some time in earnest reflection on the first day of December.
Michael Scott in The Office infamously declared bankruptcy.
On December 1 of the past few years, “I declare Christmas.”
Christmas doesn’t need my declaration nor my help arriving. However, this life pause is necessary for my soul to slow down and assess and prepare for the upcoming season.2
I live in a hurried mode too often. If there’s one thing I see about the story of the first Christmas in scripture, it’s that it communicates simplicity amidst strangeness.
A young couple are forced to make a stressful journey on the very eve of the young, first-time mom giving birth. The way the story is told, the barely make it to Bethlehem before the baby comes. They have to settle for a stable. Amidst straw and smells, the hope of humanity cried His way into the not-so-silent night.
The arrival of stunned shepherds caused the couple to pause and ponder.3 They were ready for their miracle baby. I don't think they grasphed all the implications of Christmas. Certainly they couldn't "conceive" of Christmas celebrations featuring them in natiity sets, plays and sermons for milennia to come.
And yet, the simplicity was that God the Father sent His Son to be our Savior. To be the hope of the world. To lead us all back home. This strange rescue demands my rejoicing. I must “declare Christmas” to myself… and to all.
Being Christmas means that I embody all that the coming of Jesus represents. Generosity. Joy. Grace. Wonder. Innocence. Reflection. And yes, even being a bit strange.
After all, with wars, pandemics, cultural chaos, Twitter upheaval, partisanship, gender benders, race baiting, click baiting, Tik Tok addictions and shrill voices everywhere, being a voice of hope is a bit strange, wouldn’t you say?
That’s what being Christmas means. Feel the stress of soon-to-parents traveling to a new place without a minivan or a reservation. Lean in and listen for a baby’s cry in the night. See the shepherds fear transformed into wonder. See the awe descend. And believe that the Father smiled broadly as the plan of the ages was revealed for us all on that most unexpected of all nights.
Declare Christmas for yourself this year. Go tell it on the mountain. Jesus Christ has come for all. Be a Christmas Christian.
Ephesians 4:12-13
Luke 2:8-20
I LOVE "simplicity amoung strangeness",,, I have been pondering that statement since reading your post 45 minutes ago,, and studying Luke 2 once again and taking notes, on what Mary's reaction was, and what struck the shepherds the most. and how they reacted. And how we all need to pause, and ponder, and slow down, and curl up with out little ones,, and tell them the story , the Truth of Jesus coming to save us from our sins. And even in the midst of stress, and unexpected things , to still , be quiet and rest in the Lord, and live in simplicity amoung strangeness.