Christmas, 2019

Luke 2

2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

It's Christmas.

As such, despite my choice of header photo I traditionally prefer to avoid political commentary on this particular day. I will say that I've noted that Christmas celebrations and displays seem muted this year, as if all the crazy stuff that's going on has worn down people's spirits even in this holy time. It honestly seems like the busiest place around these past few days has been Wal-Mart, even though the usual capitalistic feeding frenzy seems to have been down a bit this year.

And yet I'm reminded of what were, for me at least, worse times than these.

During the Christmas season of 2001, I was in the process of going through a divorce. I was living in the dorms at the local community college and because the dorms were closed for the Christmas break I was staying at my Mom's house for a couple of weeks.

I had worked a Christmas eve closing shift at Big Boy, where I was a line cook. It was normally my second job but during the break I was working full-time hours since my other job as a shift manager at the college cafeteria was not a thing for the duration of the break. I'd previously been a dishwasher and maintenance man for the company, as well as having been a cook in different restaurants in the local chain of franchises several times.

So when I'd volunteered to work Christmas Eve for the obligatory time-and-a-half, I got it. We'd been busy that night. I needed the money to pay off bills my ex-wife had racked up.

I was, in fact, driving home in my 1994 Ford Tempo, exhausted, in a very intense snow storm at three in the morning. It sucked. It was an hour from work to my Mom's house in the darkling snow.

At times, it was like driving inside a snow-globe, with the snow coming at you from all directions at once in the darkness. I'd been in worse, but not by choice.

I was surfing radio stations to stay awake.

And I happened upon this broadcast from a Christian radio station, which mentioned that Biblical scholars had determined that Jesus was not born in December, but rather most likely in August or September, based on the events around the time of His birth as described in the Gospels.

And I thought, here all these people make a big show of charity and religiosity this time of year, every year, and we don't even know for certain what date Jesus was actually born on, since Christmas and the traditions mostly associated with it are primarily co-opted Pagan celebrations...as is Easter, while we're at it.

So if the truth is that we don't know, why do people act all charitable and nice and religious (when they're not getting into fights over sale-price TV's or trying to run over brown-skinned teenage girls) this time of year?

Shouldn't people be trying to be charitable and decent and behave as faithful Christians if they Believe...all year instead of just for a few weeks in November and December, if they're serious about following Christ and honoring their Lord?

If we don't know, shouldn't we at least try to conduct ourselves like decent human beings all year, so as to avoid being an asshole when His forgotten actual birthday rolls around?

It was an odd insight for me to have at the time, given that my divorce had started the process of me leaving Christianity, though it would not be complete for another seven years.

But I had it anyway.

And even today, I often find myself appalled by and write about the conduct of those who call themselves the most faithful of Christians...and as anybody who reads my work knows I often call it out from a specifically Biblical standpoint.

Because you just can't reach some people any other way. I know this.

I guess there was and is something that's never let me go completely, I can't explain it. It simply is.

And the truth is, if we are to survive on this world, the only home we all have, we as a species are going to have to do better. We are going to have to find some other metric than money to measure ourselves by, or at least spread it around enough to make sure that more people have a decent, survivable income. We are going to have to cut back on the tribalism, as well, otherwise there will be more conflicts and things will get worse. We are all one tribe, ferrets and humans and lions and mighty jungle trees. We are all Earthlings. We humans had best start remembering that.

We live in a Universe not made for us, but made to reflect the glory of an infinite God.

Is peace on Earth and good will toward others so hard?