(I am indebted to Stephen Cotterell's 'Do nothing Christmas is Coming' for this post)
The TV is starting to go Christmas mad. The links between programmes all have snow or hats and scarves and a distinctly wintery/Christmassy feel. The same is true of the adverts, now decked with jingle bells, Santas, conifers, decorations and so on... If I see another beaming family, around a yuletide table eating more food than they will ever need, pulling executive crackers, I think I will...
A significant number of people, especially at this time of year, accuse the church of peddling myths. 'Oh we'll come to church at Christmas... it's just for the kids...' I have heard those words... The real Christmas myth is the one that the TV channels are peddling - doting parents, satisfied children, stress free 25th December...
The story of family life at the heart of the Christmas story couldn't be more different. It has a teenage girl, pregnant outside marriage. She's nearly dumped and then supported by her older partner. They travel across boarders and territories to conform to the tax regulations of the day. There is nowhere for the child to be born other than in the outhouse at the back of a local pub. No midwife. No gas and air. No clean sheets. No epidural.
This Christmas story is a story that could be set in contemporary Britain. It is closer to the real family life of many than any of the commercials you will see in the next 3 weeks or so. It shows a family struggling and supporting each other through enormous challenges.
Advent is a good time to be reminded that God was at the very heart of the lives of that dysfunctional family. God longs to be at the heart of our lives - however dysfunctional they may or may not be this week. God showed love, life-changing love through that family... what can we do to show love to ours?
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