by Shelley Fowler
So there I was…standing in the shower and asking God to bless me with inspiration for this column as I rinsed Pantene conditioner out of my hair. I was hoping for some upbeat and cheery thought, some wise or witty words to lift all our spirits and help guide us not only to Christmas but into the next year. Well, instead of offering me light and lyrical, He laid upon my spirit two serious questions:
What if there was no Christmas? What if Jesus had never been born?I immediately asked for another inspiration, another direction, another idea. Those questions were too weighty for my mind. And I figured you all would definitely agree! But, alas! No other thought came beckoning, no other avenue presented itself. I had a choice – either not write a column or face the questions. Armed with several cups of hot tea and time, I chose the latter. I rolled them over in my mind and heart, and here’s my answers, simplistic though they may be.Obviously, we would probably be like our Jewish counterpoints who aren’t of the Messianic faith. We would be living solely by regulations and rules, by traditions and without a way past our human frailties and foibles. Life would be pretty cut and dried, I think – you are born, you struggle with following all the rules and being good enough by being religious, and then you die.And just think! There would be no need or even understanding of such words as hope and grace, mercy and forgiveness, sweet peace or quiet joy. All the words ascribed to Jesus in the Bible – all the parables and miracles, all the loving kindness and lessons taught by Him – would be deleted from our way of thinking and living. No one would sing “Little Town of Bethlehem” or “Hark The Herald Angels Sing”. No “Silent Night”. No “Christ the Lord Has Risen Today”. There would be no need for the cross and certainly no resurrection of the man who is the reason for celebrating Christmas.And perhaps most importantly, was there no Jesus; none of us would have to take a stand, or draw a line in the sand, or believe without seeing, thus making a choice based on faith. It is true that it takes great faith to believe in God, but to take another step and believe that His son walked among us and then died for us…well, that takes a giant leap of faith! Sadly, there would also be no personal connection between us and God, no one standing in the gap between heaven and earth. No one to understand what it feels like to be human and faced with choices from all sides. Which brings us back to the fact there would be no need for Christmas if there was no baby Jesus born in a manger beneath the star, amongst the animals, and lying between his mother, Mary, and his father, Joseph. There would be no need for Christmas if he didn’t grow up and then die for all of us. There would be no need for gifts, or carols, or fresh baked cookies, or trees trimmed in lights. There would be no need for church services or pageants, cantatas or the reading of the story around the family table. There would be nothing – no one – to celebrate and honor! My gift to each of you is to ask and answer those questions for yourself. And while you’re mulling them over, imagining a world without Christmas and a history without Jesus, may you realize that there are many, many souls out there in that same world who purposefully do not believe in Jesus, which means they’re really missing out on Christmas. My heart ached when I thought of them and all the joy and gladness, all the hope and grace, all the miracles and closeness with God they are missing.So when you’re gathered around the Christmas tree, or when you’re sitting in the audience of your child’s Christmas program, or when you’re driving to and from a Christmas party, or even when you’re alone and remembering another Christmas – may you whisper a prayer and blessing for those who do not believe, even as you give thanks that because of God’s gift Christmas is alive and well and merrily beating in your spirit and soul! Merry Christmas to each of you….and now, let’s all sing one of my favorite songs, “Joy To The World”!
