The Christmas season is upon us. Christmas lights have been hung. The Salvation Army bell ringers are out and about. Layaways are open again. Kids are sitting on Santa’s lap. And the church prepares to celebrate the birth of a savior. But in the hustle and bustle of it all, that little baby gets set in the background. We worry ourselves over presents, where Grandma and Grandpa are going to stay, and whether or not Aunt Bernice is going to give us a fruitcake this year. But we don’t let ourselves get consumed by that tiny little infant. What do you want little boy? Have you been good this year little girl? I want an XBOX 360 Kinect. I want a princess kit. But we don’t really think about what that baby wants.
In the business of this season, we forget that the only reason we celebrate is because Jesus was born. Mary and Joseph certainly did not forget about that little baby, how could they? Gabriel visited both of them, Mary was visibly pregnant, Joseph could not leave her, and they were going to raise the Messiah. Mary was even going to give birth to him. Which is why, in the Roman Catholic Church, Mary is such an important figure. What is so cool about Mary giving birth to Jesus can be summed up in one word, theotokos. This word, theotokos, means God-bearer, one who gives birth to God, or one who gives birth to the one who is God. This term, theotokos, is very interesting to me during this Christmas season, especially if we define it as God-bearer. In this season, we remember Mary giving birth to Jesus, or bearing him into the world. What if, during this Christmas season, we began to see ourselves as theotokos? What if we saw ourselves as Godbearers? It is what we are. It is our responsibility. Christ’s light dwells within us, shining forth into all the world, bearing God into the lives of people we encounter.
If we lived as Godbearers, what would that look like? How different would we be? I wonder how we would celebrate the Christmas season. I wonder where our priorities would be. If during this time of waiting and celebration, we remembered that we are Godbearers, what would change? Would we focus on the presents or would we focus on Jesus? Would we let our houses shine with bright lights or would we let our lives shine with the bright light? Would we push our ways through lines, cut people off in parking lots, and fight for the last toy on the shelf? Or would we go to the back of the line, not gripe about how far away the parking spot is, and let the other person have the toy?
If you have been paying attention to the news lately, you will have heard the many stories of people being shot, stabbed, or pepper sprayed on Black Friday over presents and great bargains and deals. Stories like these have been heard before, such as people being trampled right as the doors open. But this year, it seemed as if stories of such incidents skyrocketed and I can’t help but wonder why that is. I think that Christianity as a whole has somewhat failed in their mission to be Godbearers, especially around this time, which is ironic because this is the one time of year where the church really amps us their “marketing.” I see billboards and bumper stickers all proclaiming that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” I certainly agree, but why is Jesus the reason? How is he the reason? It is not enough to say that he is, we must explain the hows and whys. How is Jesus supposed to be the reason if we don’t know why. We can bookend all of our actions at Christmas time with that statement. We can justify our actions with that statement when Jesus himself would not condone those actions. If we believe that Jesus truly is the reason for the season, we better be ready to show that we believe it and explain why.
It’s not about presents, trees, or fruitcakes at all. It is all about Jesus coming into our world to show us how to live, to provide the ultimate sacrifice, and to give the greatest gift of all, life with him. So be a Godbearer starting right now and never stop. Share the news of Jesus and better yet, live it.
-Erik Brummett