Noted scholar of religions Alan Watts suggests that some bible stories are better understood if they began with the words “Once upon a time.” When we read those four words, we immediately know that the story to follow is not factual but offers a window into truth or a slice of life couched in metaphor and symbolic imagery. No doubt Watts would include in that category the two accounts of the birth of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Whatever the two gospel writers knew of the circumstances surrounding Jesus’s birth, they were more interested in what he came to mean than in the facts that occurred seventy-five or eighty-five years before they set pen to papyrus.
In Luke, angels on high announce the glad tidings being ushered in with Jesus’s birth. Their message is first heard by shepherds, a group of people who lived on the fringes of Jewish society at the time. For Matthew, a star alerts wise men from the East of the wonderful event taking place. This was good news not only for Jews but for all people. King Herod realizes that the child, born in a stable, poses a threat to his power, as Jesus came to be when he began his public life. The event takes place in Bethlehem, the birthplace of the great King David. This newborn child is to be a new king, a direct descendent of David, and a new kind of king. He ushers in a kingdom based on love and not the fear and intimidation such as Herod employed. Mary, his mother, remains a virgin, a pure vessel apropos the mother of the Son of God. Joseph provides a steady hand as protector of this holy family. In popular imagery, even the animals play an important role in the story. The Christ-child is born in close proximity to non-human creatures; he is not an ethereal savior but a down-to-earth one. Christianity proposes that the end of Jesus’s life serves as the main conveyor of his message, but the stories of his birth speak to the imagination of Christians and people everywhere. Their “Once upon a time” message continues to work its magic.
Does the magic of Christmas still have the power it had down through the centuries? Unfortunately, it has been co-opted by many forces that remove the Christ event from Christmas, despite the popular bumper stickers pleading “Keep Christ in Christmas.” Some years ago, I visited my daughter Katie who was teaching English in Taiwan. We visited a large department store in Taipei that was covered with Christmas decorations and announcements of the “Big Christmas Sale.” I asked Katie why they were celebrating Christmas in August, and she said, “The people here know nothing of the meaning of Christmas other than that it is a time for shopping.” A few years later, while in London over Christmas, I noticed many Arab Muslim women going into Harrods and the other stores London is famous for. The women were not there to celebrate Christ but to shop. There’s a television network that devotes over a month to nonstop Christmas-themed movies. In them, it is always snowing, and warm feelings win out against the cold. However, you would be hard-pressed to find any mention of Jesus or the Savior of the world. Not too long ago, churches would be packed on Christmas. Now, many people from a Christian background don’t bother to attend church services even on this holy day.
Clearly, we are in danger of a great loss. Hopefully, the rich symbolism associated with the season can still work its magic. Getting a new tv at a bargain price is wonderful, as is the warm, fuzzy feeling of holiday get-togethers and watching heartwarming holiday movies on a Friday night. However, the true magic of Christmas is so much greater. For Christians, the birth of Christ is the birth of hope and an outpouring of the love that God has for all. And it is brought to us by a newborn child, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger on a cold night.
Joseph Stoutzenberger 