Christmas, the Family Celebration
A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick
One day, on my car radio, I heard a commentator say, "After all, that's what Christmas is all about, isn't it?" I reached for the volume dial so I could hear what the announcer had to say about the true meaning of Christmas. He continued, "It's all about the family." Then, just yesterday, I received this email Christmas greeting from Eddie who wrote: "May your holidays be blessed with health, love and happiness. Enjoy your family and friends. Merry Christmas, Eddie." So, in the minds of many, Christmas is all about the family. Now don't get me wrong. The family is very important, and we should be constantly working hard to strengthen this very vital foundation stone of our society. One might well note that much of what has gone wrong in America can be traced to problems in the family.
Where is anger and rage birthed, the kind that energizes young men to take a gun and randomly take out lives of innocent people? Where is the incubator for low self esteem, the kind that drives a person to resort to unnatural means to achieve value and acceptance? Where does anti-social behavior begin, the kind that renders a person almost totally incapable of forgiveness and harmonious living? Of course it's understandable that the radio announcer would declare "family" as being the central meaning of the Christmas holiday. Consider all of the traveling that will be going on. For what reason? So that family members can be together. In mobile America, where nearly one fourth of our population moves every year, going to "Grandmother's House" is all but a national obsession, even if we never get to do it by horse drawn sleigh. We've been told that over 61 Million Americans will be traveling during this Christmas holiday - a very popular Christmas theme song continues to be, "I'll be home for Christmas." Gift giving, and feasting also revolve mostly around the family. No doubt about it, to the casual observer it would be clear - Christmas is about the family. Actually, I think we should have a family holiday - a day devoted to the strengthening of family life and family relationships. One of our family jokes is that we take family trips in our family car to spend family time on our family vacation. Along the way we play family games, stop at family restaurants, and on the radio we always tune in to family radio! The President's wife wrote a best-seller, but I think she got it wrong. It doesn't "Take a Village to Raise a Child", it takes a family. Village raising is nothing but a thinly disguised form of socialism - family raising is the God given pattern for training children to love God and love one another. In fact, I like to think of family as a prolonged laboratory experience where kindness, patience, courtesy, helpfulness, gratitude, creativity and many other positive traits are perfected through experience and discipline. Family life is like distilling water - when the heat is on, the impurities are separated out so that what finally flows out into the world is good, pure, life-giving water. Unfortunately, at times it seems that what takes place within the walls of our homes is often less kind, less courteous, and less helpful than what takes place outside. Recently I came across this poem written by a mother. It is simply titled "Family". I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
He said, "Please excuse me too;
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
But at home a different story is told,
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
When I turned, I nearly knocked her down.
She walked away, her little heart was broken.
While I lay awake in bed,
"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,
Look on the kitchen floor,
Those are the flowers she brought for you.
She stood quietly not to spoil the surprise,
By this time, I felt very small,
I quietly went and knelt by her bed;
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I said, "Daughter, I'm sorry for the way I acted today;
She said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."
So let's have a celebration of family, and let's do everything we can to strengthen this most important institution, making sure it's doing what God intended. But let's just not confuse it with Christmas. Of course, it may be understandable that Christmas has become devoted to family. Perhaps it's because of what we call the "nativity scene". As the King James Version describes it, "Mary, Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger". (I guess that back then, they had "family" mangers!) This scene has come to dominate our collective imagination - Christmas is immortalized in the picture of the model family, even though poor, all aglow in the wonder of the miracle of birth. We've already forgotten that this was a supernatural birth; we've put aside the announcements about this being the Savior. Perhaps even his name, Jesus, is nearly forgotten, a name which means "Savior", but which has been replaced with "the Christ Child." You may want to ask, what's the problem of allowing Christmas to reduced to a family celebration holiday? For one thing, whenever there is a diluting of purposes; whenever the same event begins to stand for two things, human nature is such that it will almost always opt for the more pleasant of the two. (If you came into my office and I offered you a piece of home-made fudge or a dried apricot, you most likely would chose the home-made fudge!) In the case of Christmas, most will opt for family because the other option is much less pleasant. What is the other option? It is to remember that this infant was brought into the world to become a human sacrifice. Not a pleasant thought at all. In addition, to confuse the celebration of Christmas with celebration of family tends to not only exclude a large number of people, but even bring about deep pain for those for whom family has become a tragic set of life experiences. Perhaps there's sorrow due to a family member's death. Or maybe there's been a traumatic divorce, or a long standing disagreement or grudge. Or it may that there has been long standing dysfunction such as abusive behavior, emotional manipulation, or deep seated resentment over fairness issues. When the family Christmas gathering digs up but cannot resolve these hurts, the "Christ" part of Christmas will be lost, and wounded people end up wishing that Christmas would never come again. But while we're talking about family, let me mention that the Bible has a lot to say about this. In fact, families and family members' names (such as mother, father, sister, and brother) are mentioned nearly 3,000 times! There are instructions for family life; there are good models provided and bad examples given which help us understand what God feels is or is not healthy for the family. In a very general sense, God is the Father of all, so that makes us brothers and sisters to every other human being who has ever lived. (Ephesians 3:14, 15) However, Jesus made a distinction between human (blood) ties and spiritual, that is, we are in a family relationship with others who also "do the Father's will" - the "people of God" are the Family of God. "'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'" (Matthew 12:48-50) Again, after His resurrection, Jesus made reference to His disciples being His own brothers. Meeting the women who had come looking for His body, Jesus said, "Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:10) For us to be considered "brothers and sisters, suggests two things: equality with each other and a taking responsibility for each other. As to equality, when Jesus warned His disciples about the Scribes and Pharisees, He faulted the Jewish leaders for seeking after positions of superiority. Jesus made it clear that this was not to be the way it would be with the disciples. Listen to His instruction in Matthew 23:
(There's a great story which has come to light since we've become so interested in "chads". I myself was quite interested due to the fact that I, like my father before me, was known as "Chad" during my younger years. So I was delighted to learn that there was a Bishop in England by the name of Chad. In the seventh century, Theodore of Tarsus became Archbishop of Canterbury and immediately set out to reform the English church. On discovering that there were two bishops in Northumbria, he declared the consecration of one of them Chad's, invalid because when he had been ordained, two Celtic bishops had been involved, so the Archbishop declared his appointment to be invalid. Chad's reply revealed his deep humility: "If you know I have not duly received episcopal ordination, I willingly resign the office, for I never thought myself worthy of it; but, though unworthy, in obedience submitted to undertake it." Moved by this reply, Theodore completed Chad's consecration, and later in the same year the King of Mercia requested a bishop and Theodore sent Chad, who then became the first Bishop of Litchfield in the year 669. Today, St. Chad's Church stands in tribute to this man's faithful and humble missionary endeavors.) However, it also must be pointed out that at times these two families, the family of all mankind, and the family of fellow believers, come into conflict. When Jesus talked about "taking up the cross" to follow Him, it was in the context of saying that at times they would be forced to choose Him above their own family members. (Luke 14:26,27) And Jesus prepared His followers for difficult days to come by saying, "You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me." (Luke 21:16,17) And let's never forget that the true identity of Satan is that he is "the accuser of our brethren." (Revelation 12:10). One thing is clear, the early followers of Jesus accepted their appointed identity as brothers. Over and over, in the New Testament, the Christians were given the label, "Brethren". This was true of Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17); Joppa (Acts 10:23); Iconium (Acts 14:2); Phenice and Samaria (Acts 15:3); Philippi (Acts 16:40) Ephesus (Acts 20:32); even in little known places such as Ptolemais (Acts 21:7), and Puteoli (Acts 28:14). And of course the Christians were called brethren in Rome (Romans 1:13; 12:1); Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:10; 6:8; 8:12; etc.); Galatia (Galatians 1:2; 6:1); Colosae (Colossians 1:2); Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:14); and Macedonia (1 Thessalonians 4:10) In the great chapter 2 of Ephesians, the chapter in which Jesus is described at the "Chief Cornerstone" of the church, Paul writes: "For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone."(Ephesians 2:18-20) Yes, at Christmas time this year, let's celebrate the family - let's celebrate the family of God! There once was a time when "brother" and "sister" were common words in the church. Everyone was "brother" or "sister", even the children. How well I remember the man in the church of my childhood who always called me "Brother. Neil." I was only 11 years old! Of course that wasn't particularly pleasant for me - that man was considered to be retarded, and to me he was kind of scary. But it's not just about using the titles, it's also necessary that we come to treat each other in the best possible ways. Listen to the instruction in Galatians 6:2;7-10:
However, if we were close the message at this point, we would be very remiss. We also want to make sure that everyone here is truly a member of this great Family of God. How does one become a member of the Family? Simply by accepting what Jesus came to do, that is, to die on a cruel cross in order to provide forgiveness and eternal life.  - - Return to Top of this Page  - Email a Link to this Page
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