We’ve all seen the images – the dazzling tree, with cherub children in matching PJs around it, listening attentively to their Father reading out the Christmas devotion. Your friend posted it on social media and your heart sneers and sinks as all you can think about is how your toddler ripped off their advent calendars door, demanded “more!” chocolate and then complained loudly during their Bible reading.
Social media can accentuate the feeling of us missing the mark when it comes to Christmas traditions – whether it’s the special outings, the flawless decorations or the delicious hand made baking. Living in Christian community can also add an extra element of shame as we are concerned about making sure our Christmas traditions thoroughly teach our children about the incarnation of Jesus – helping to ensure them growing up with a “robust” understanding of the gospel.
But is there a better way to approach Christmas traditions than with comparison, pride or shame?
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Traditions are good
It’s good and Biblical to cultivate traditions to remember the works of the Lord – God invented them. He even put the first tradition to remember him into the fabric of his creation- he created the world in six days then rested on the seventh. Calling us to have a similar pattern or work and rest, so that we can remember his deeds and teach them to our children.
The Old and New Testament are filled with festivals and traditions – the Passover, Pentecost and Communion to name a few. The problem is not traditions – they are a good gifts from God to remember his works and worship him for his faithfulness. The problem isn’t with traditions, the problem lies with our sinful hearts.
Our hearts are flawed
Ever since the fall, human beings have a tendency to turn in on ourselves. We make traditions an opportunity to elevate ourselves in our own eyes and the eyes of others, forgetting to look to God – the cause of our celebration. We make the hymn signing into a photo opportunity, and chance to grow meaningful memories in the lives of our children; rather than wholeheartedly worshipping the God who was born in squalor and poverty to take our shame and unrighteousness from us. Or we get angry when the Christmas food gets burnt or our child loudly refuses to eat it, rather than humbly thanking God for providing the food for us, and for being our sacrificial lamb who nourishes us with him own flesh and blood.
But Jesus is gracious.
We have a saviour
God knows that even the traditions that we cultivate to point us to him are marred with sin, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isiah 64:6). And he cleanses us from it through his death and resurrection. We don’t have to find out righteouesness in our perfectly executed traditions complete with lovely food, matching clothes, twinkling lights and seamless theological teaching – Jesus is our righteousness. We don’t have to fret that our children will go astray if we can’t attain the perfect Christmas tradition that we are trying to introduce in our homes.
So this Christmas we are free. Free to enjoy the good gifts God has given us (the food, clothing, family, twinkly lights, scented candles, skillfully put together devotions etc) but we don’t need to despair when disappointments come our way, when our house looks more like a war zone than an Instagram post, or when we find ourselves sinning. This is why Jesus came – and all he asks of us is delightfully simple. Just to remember and rejoice in all that he has done for us.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Proverbs 7:14