The Pastor’s Perspective
By the Rev. Daniel W. Bellavia
December 2007
The Christmas spirit descended upon the
Bellavia household as I prepared to put down my thoughts for Christmas 2007.
Betsy, my wife, retrieved the tree from the attic and (with a little help from
Mommy and Daddy) the children began to assemble and decorate it in our living
room. They each carefully place the ornaments on the branches of the tree. Most
of this occurs while I am downstairs, hard at work on sermon preparation and
well…this article. While my eyes are firmly fixated on my blinking cursor, my
youngest son, James, approaches me with one hand behind his back. He
spontaneously reveals his surprise (without any drum-roll or prompting) and asks
me to place my ornament, a Buffalo Bills football with my name on it, onto the
tree. I sigh and smile and jog up the stairs to join my family around the tree.
With my ornament in its proper place, the boys are satisfied that their work is
done. The tradition is complete. The past and the present are residing as one on
the branches of our tree. We are ready for Christmas.
A lot has changed since we last decorated the
Christmas tree. We are doing it in a new house in a new town and while serving a
new Church. New possibilities and old memories flood over us as we place
ornaments from the past on an evergreen tree which has traditionally represented
hope for new life. This is made all the more poignant as we do this while
embracing the newness of the life before us. Though some of the traditions
remain the same, the move has radically altered others. Each change can induce
stress and create pain.
Christmas is an enormously emotional time of
the year where memories clash with reality, at times with a devastating force.
As we continue forward in life we can experience painful moments where the
memories of the past seem warmer than our hope for the future.
For me the pain always seems most acute when
we gather around the family dinner table and recognize the absence of loved
ones. As I grew up I never imagined a Christmas without the people that I loved.
It was, after all, the most important part of the tradition.
Over time the roll call at the dinner table
has changed. Each empty place is a reminder of a life lived and a loss
experienced. Yet, while we remember those who have now embraced eternity through
death, we also celebrate those new faces around the table, as new families are
created through marriage, and children and grandchildren occupy the chairs of
their forefathers and mothers.
Perhaps this is why the Christmas season
contains so much contrasting joy and pain? What, however, can we do when the
holiday season becomes a time of existential suffering? What can you do for
those who face their darkest days in the brightest light?
It is important to remember that the purpose
of pain is to tell our body that something is wrong. Pain is, in effect, a
warning mechanism. If we experience great pain in the midst of celebration, then
we must determine if something is wrong. Of course, everyone experiences some
pain in life. We experience physical pain when we stub our toe or emotional pain
when we grieve the loss of loved ones. We experience pain in broken families and
failed relationships. It is normal to feel pain when you have experienced
trauma, but it is also important to know how that pain can be healed. This is
when Jesus Christ breaks into our personal world. This is where the Great
Physician can do the most good in our lives. And in Jesus Christ we find the
revelation of the true hope of Christmas.
If Christmas is only about packages and
tinsel, if Christmas is only about the giving and receiving of gifts, then our
joy is easily swallowed by the grief of loss or the recognition of an empty
chair. If we truly understand and embrace the meaning of Christmas, then we find
solace in our loss. Then we can find hope for our tomorrows. The hope, of course
is found in Jesus the Christ Child. Jesus: the only begotten Son of God. It was
in Jesus Christ that God physically entered the world of God’s own creation and
dwelt with us. It was in the town of Bethlehem, that the Son of God was born to
a young virgin named Mary, amidst the proclamation of angels and the wonder of
simple shepherds. It was there that the master of the universe lowered Himself
to our level, showered us with love and showed us how to live.
Of course the Christmas story is not complete
if we end it with the coming of the Magi, just as your story is not complete if
it is ended with your first birthday party. Jesus’ birth is relevant because of
His life and most importantly for us, His death. Jesus, the babe born on
Christmas morning 2000 years ago, is the same Jesus that carried His cross and
our sins to Calvary. Jesus, who Mary held in her arms that Christmas morning
would 33 years later also be cradled in His mother’s arm at the foot of the
cross, as she grieved over His lifeless body, broken to forgive our sins. Jesus,
the baby born through the power of the Holy Spirit, would later be resurrected
from the dead through the power of the triune God in order that the power of sin
and death might be shattered. This is the Jesus of Christmas. This is the Jesus
worthy of praise. This is the Jesus that shepherds watched and angels praised.
He is the reason for the season. Jesus is our joy.
I have always been a dreamer. Not only of the
visionary type, but also someone who finds comfort and hope in dreams. Have you
ever had a dream in which people from disparate parts of your life are gathered
together? This is one of my favorite dreams. The dream where your high school
friends and your children are playing on the soccer team with you. The type of
dream where people who have never encountered each other in life are speaking
and acting like life-long friends. For years I would have these dreams and
imagine the joys of family members, grade school chums, college roommates and
friends from across the country all gathered together. Of course part of the
attraction of this dream is that all of these people would be gathered around
mutual love and friendship.
As I matured in my faith I realized that there
was only one scenario that would allow for this oft-imagined celebration. The
day of resurrection; where the whole of the Church would gather together around
the great table of the Lord to celebrate Jesus. On that day, the family would
finally be together. I will meet my great-grandfathers, and my grandfather will
see how my boys have grown. Each seat will once again be filled, and there will
be room for everyone. This is the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus has come to
reconcile the world to Himself. Jesus has provided for our salvation through His
own sacrificial death, even the death on a cross. Jesus has brought to us God’s
love.
It is important to remember that many people
are ignorant about the true meaning of Christmas. Many people have never heard
the story of Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds and the Magi. For them Christmas is
seen entirely in terms of tinsel and treasure. For these people, the importance
of Christmas is only to be found in the traditional American celebration of
family, egg nog and Christmas gifts. They celebrate Christmas proudly, but they
do not know what the joyful season is really all about. It is like the “football
widow” who watching the game claps her hands when her husband and sons explode
into applause, but does not really know why she is cheering. They know they
should be happy, but they don’t know why.
This Christmas give the gift of Jesus to those
you love. Share with them the true meaning of Christmas: God’s love in Jesus
Christ. Perhaps the most effective way to do this is to invite them to join you
at the table. Make a place for them in your life and share your dream with them,
for this dream is made real in Jesus Christ. Share the gift of God’s love that
is made real in Jesus Christ. Share the promise of eternal life that is granted
through Jesus’ work. Share the blessing of our longed for day of resurrection
and reunion. Share the reality of eternal life together.
Come Join Us At The Christmas Table!
Rev. Daniel W. Bellavia
