It Began in a Manger
In 2022, Christmas Day fell on a Sunday. And so began the debate among many churches and even my own family on whether there should be services on that Sunday. After all, I thought, Christmas is a time to be home with one’s family and celebrate. How on earth can I forgo my Christmas morning breakfast? There is absolutely no way the kids can wait patiently to open their presents. I know I’m not the only one thinking like this. In that moment, as I do with most topics, I began to contemplate the proper theological answer to these questions. The reality is, I don’t fully know, but another thread began to emerge. Why does going to church on Christmas matter? Historically, why is the Christmas story, the birth of Christ, so important? I know why it is, and should be, of utmost importance to the Christian. But why is this moment so significant to human history?
It didn’t take me long to realize why the celebration of Christmas is just as much of a patriotic day as it is a religious holiday. In the Western world we should not only celebrate this holiday but observe it with reverence. Both religious and non-religious should pause during this time of year are recognize what happened that day. It is Christianity, after all, that permeated the ancient world and began a transformation that would have ripple effects across all human history. I began to insist that we take time on Christmas morning and watch Christmas service. Our church was among those that decided not to hold services that morning. Even my husband became frustrated at the idea that we would delay our traditional Christmas morning ritual to watch a service. So, I stopped and began to explain what had been on my heart.
If you love liberty and freedom, as most Americans and Westerners do, then let me explain why it all began in a manger. It is the birth of Christ, his life, death and resurrection, that created Western Civilization. Our very concepts of liberty and freedom are directly derived from Christianity. If God loved humanity so deeply that he would sacrifice his Son, and each person holds great intrinsic value to Him, then we all deserve to be treated with respect. This did not coincide with much of the culture of the ancient world. It challenged governments, which were all monarchies and dictatorships. In fact, Christ radically transformed the ancient world.
As author, historian, and atheist (emphasize the atheist part), Tom Holland (no not spider man) once wrote,
“While studying the ancient world he realized something. Simply, the ancients were cruel, and their values utterly foreign to him. The Spartans routinely murdered ‘imperfect’ children. The bodies of slaves were treated like outlets for the physical pleasure of those with power. Infanticide was common. The poor and weak had no rights. How did we get from there to here? It was Christianity. Christianity revolutionized sex and marriage, demanding that men control themselves and prohibiting all forms of rape. Christianity confined sexuality within monogamy. (It is ironic, Holland notes, that these are now the very standard for Christianity is derided.) Christianity elevated women. In short, Christianity utterly transformed the world.”
I know that this is a hard pill to swallow for the non-believer. Say what you will, but honestly, you don’t have to be a believer to acknowledge the transformational power that Christ bestowed upon humanity. As the great 20th century theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “for the great and powerful of this world, there are only two places in which their courage fails them ...These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ. No powerful person dares to approach the manger…For this is where thrones shake, the mighty fall, the prominent perish, because God is with the lowly.” Christ was the great equalizer. And it all began in a manger.
So, this Christmas, I will take the time to enjoy all the festivities. Eat my share of gluttonous meals. And don’t forget the never-ending trays of baked goods! But, as I look at the nativity that sits on the piano in my living room, I can’t help but stop and take a moment to be utterly and overwhelmingly grateful for the gift I have been given. The gift of salvation, the gift of true liberty and freedom. And it all began in a manger.