3 reasons why I go to church on Christmas day

1.       To be reminded that Christmas is about death as well as new life

Recently I saw the film ‘Children of Men’. Set in 2027 humankind has become infertile and there have been no babies born for 18 years. Hope is at a low ebb. And then, a young woman stands in a stable (ironically enough) and shows the lead character, Clive Owen, her ‘baby bump’. All of a sudden, hope is born. By living, this child can bring hope to a world which is in despair, order instead of anarchy, joy instead of misery. What a picture of the Christmas story.

I love the fact that at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ. It is a message of hope – a King has come. Change is afoot. Healing is here. God has humbled himself as a dependent, crying baby.

And yet amidst all the Christmas cards and carols depicting the Christ-child, it is good to be reminded that Jesus did not come just to live, like the baby in the film, but to die on a cross for the sin of mankind. As Tim Keller says: “Jesus lived the life we should have lived and died the death we deserved to die because of sin, so that God could accept us.”  

 

2.       To be reminded that my family is bigger than I ever imagined

What does Christmas mean to you? Is a question asked to celebrity after celebrity on TV at Christmas time. The usual answer is something like ‘it’s all about family’ or ‘it’s about home’, whether we’re driving home for Christmas or we’ve seen mummy kissing Santa Claus. The author Marjorie Holmes sums it up: “At Christmas, all roads lead home”

This year we are visiting our family. And we will have a great time, as I know many others will. Other families are not looking forward to it so much. Family rifts that are played down during the year are intensified. The whole day is a reminder of relationship break ups, falling outs and perhaps the death of a loved one.

As someone from a stable family background, I am reminded of those who are not so blessed and I am able to share in enjoying and celebrating Christmas with them. For those who do not have family they are reminded that they are part of a family that loves and cares for them.

Being with my church family on Christmas day reminds me we are all the same. We are all by nature failures. We have all fallen short of deserving to know God. But amazingly we all have a new name, a new identity, and a new family. It is on this level playing field we can meet and celebrate together the gift that God has given us so that we might be accepted by God.

 

3.       To be reminded of reality

Christmas means being bombarded with adverts, the good life, Christmas trees, log fires. As the song goes ‘There'll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and caroling out in the snow. It’s the most wonderful time of the year’.

And yes, it is fun. I love Christmas day. But it isn’t reality for many. Indeed for most, Christmas day is a reminder of what could have been. It is painful.

Much of our world is a painful place. 2.56 billion people live in poverty. 1 billion have no access to clean water. The richest 20% on this planet have 83% of the wealth. And so on.

Christmas in particular buffers us against real life, real pain, real suffering. It can become escapism, sentimentality, even for Christians. Because my comfort, wealth and status mean I do not see the world as it really is.

I need reminding every day that I do not live in reality. And all the more so on Christmas day when my afternoon activities will involve caroling, marshmallowing and (hopefully) some mistletoeing.