I recently reflected on how much our perceptions of Christmas change as we get older. To illustrate, consider the following questions we will likely ask at various ages. Four and 5-year-olds often ask. “What do I want for Christmas?” and “Will I get what I want?”
At ages 7 or 8, more troubling questions arise, “How will Santa get in if we do not have a fireplace?” or an even tougher one, “How can Santa get to every house in the world on Christmas Eve?”
A few years later, the question changes when our parents give us money to buy Christmas gifts for the first time, and we ask, “What will I get my family?”
When we begin our lives away from our parents, how we view the world starts to change, and we ask a new question, “Will I make it home for Christmas?”
As young parents, our Christmas questions change even more dramatically, and we ask questions we never imagined when we were younger. Questions like 1) “How can I make the holiday special for my children?” 2) “How will I get everything done in time for Christmas?” and 3) “How am I going to pay for all these gifts?”
More years go by, and we ask new questions we never considered before, such as, 1) “Will my children and grandchildren make it home for Christmas?” 2) “How can I make sure I do not forget to buy for one of the grandchildren?” and eventually, what is perhaps the most difficult question of all, 3) “Could this be my final Christmas?”
In 2010, one of my favorite authors, Philip Yancey, published, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? In his fascinating book, Yancey observed that in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus was asked roughly 300 questions but gave direct answers to only three. Scripture often records questions; for example, the Bible tells us the question Jesus’ mother asked when the angel told her she would give birth to God’s Son. “Mary asked the angel, ‘But how can this happen? I am a virgin.’” (Luke 1:34, NLT)
Since Mary was a virgin, her question was not one of disbelief but amazement.
The angel explained Jesus’ birth would be far from routine; it would be miraculous. Perhaps we, too, need to ask a question this year. Why did Jesus leave heaven to come to earth that first Christmas?
The answer revealed in scripture is God’s love for a world that had gone astray. Like Mary, we will be awestruck if we understand this.
May your heart be filled with the wonder of God’s great love for you at this most wonderful time of the year. Merry Christmas, everyone.
Tim Richards grew up in Fairdealing and previously served as associate pastor of Pilgrim’s Rest Church there. He currently serves as a pastor on the staff of Concord Church in South County St. Louis.
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