There ought to be something grand and revolutionary about Christmas. The story talks about Angels, Kings coming long way, and Herod wipes out an entire generation of two year olds. The cry is "Peace on Earth, Good Will towards humanity." There has to be something amazing and unbelievable. That God would come to visit earth in a form that humanity could experience. Dorothy Sayers, who wrote wonderful mystery stories, said that the Christian story was the most amazing story ever told. She marveled at the ability of so many of us preacher to make that amazing story boring.
And that is just thing that strikes me so amazing. That we have this world changing story: an overthrow of the powerful, the disregarding of the wealthy, the pious being embarrassed, the lowly being welcomed as aristocracy. Yet we keep reducing it to a story about God wanting to make each of us happy. God comes inviting us to join a mighty revolution, and then we turn that revolution into a message that God wants us all to be happy, prosperous, kind middle class citizens of our country. It is the Jesus coming into the country recruiting people for this movement to struggle to change the world and we keep preaching it as if it was an invitation to let God make us happy, contented and cooperative citizens of the very world he wants to overthrow. The dynamic summons of Christmas is reduced to a be kind to your brothers and sisters of Kindergarten teachers. We need a larger Christmas.
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