Three Gifts of Christmas

By Trish Patrick in All Sorts

Christmas and the gift of smallness; the gift of mystery and wonder; the gift of The Way;

THREE GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS
For many the exchange of gifts at Christmas is a fraught business. While some enjoy the whole process others, for a variety of
very good reasons, find it a real headache. So why do we do it? One of the reasons we indulge in this exercise is continuing the tradition of the three wise men who are said to have brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myhrr, just what any self respecting new born would have at the top of his/her present list for Saint Nicholas! At a deeper level, they have a rich symbolic significance. Choosing gifts can be tricky, but such a delight when we get it right- for both giver and receiver. However getting it right isn't always easy.
But God got it right. For me, among all God's gifts, three in particular delight me;
The gift of smallness .....A tiny baby. Hidden promise and potential
The gift of mystery and wonder.. The gift of transcendence. 'A sense of otherness' The gift of 'The Way'..... A model for living.

THE GIFT OF SMALLNESS We live in a super-sized world where BIG is seen as best. A motto of today's culture seems to be 'the bigger the better'. Even we, humanity, are getting bigger by the generation. What's more, smallness is frequently perceived as inferior, because it is associated with weakness and insignificance therefore in need of up-sizing. Yet God chose to gift us with a tiny, weak and helpless baby. 'What was God thinking!!!! In fact, it's quite ingenious. I've heard many first time expectant parents say 'this baby is not going to change our lives much, we will carry on as usual and baby will fit around us.' Not so!!!! Babies have the knack of concentrating parent's minds to a degree that life is totally changed. Never to be the same again. Offering no hint of what is to come, a tiny baby is but a beginning, an ingenious, lovable beginning, the promise of things to come, nestled hidden in the future.(more about that later) Baby Jesus was to drastically change not only his parents lives, but the lives of people down through the centuries. Small can be powerful, commanding our attention while delighting our very being.
At the same time, smallness can also serve to remind us that 'the world is charged with the grandeur of God' (Gerald Manly Hopkins). John Muir, an American conservationist and explorer of the 19th century, said that 'man feels closest to God when he feels small. 'It can be a moment of transcendence, when, confronted with the magnificence of thundering waterfalls cascading hundreds of feet down awe inspiring mountain sides, or marvelling at the beauty of the night sky, we are compelled reflect on our place in the greater scheme of things, asking 'What are human beings that you (God) should take us so seriously'
( Job7: 17 )
Smallness can be challenging, yet it can be pure gift if we allow ourselves to see beyond the immediately obvious, to the potential lying hidden in unknown and unseen.

THE GIFT OF MYSTERY AND WONDER 'Oh lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the works thy hands have made I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
The first verse of this rather secularised hymn, expresses something of the magnificence of our planet home. 'Awesome', (used here in its proper context!!) invites us to contemplate the wonder and mystery of earth and the universe whether we are creationists or evolutionists. Some of the mystery and wonder has gone from our lives. Science has explained much of what used to mystify people of previous centuries. Scholars and scientists are constantly learning more and more about the rational world, which can be life changing, yet the rational world does not satisfactorily address the deepest and most profound questions about the universe and the meaning of life. There is plenty to wonder about still, and much to find mysterious, provided we don't let scrupulous rationality rob us of the gift of wonder and mystery. Christmas is still a time of wonder and mystery provided we can suspend our need for the rational, the explainable and the literal. Let's look for the gift and the significance beyond the words.
How is it that a tiny baby could have such a profound influence on human lives for over 2000years? It is such a human story, yet it's infused with mystery, wonder and yes, even divinity; God with us, Emmanuel....'You are the mystery found, the mystery sought.' (Bill Wallace).
What a gift!!!

THE GIFT OF 'THE WAY' Earlier I mentioned the promise of things to come nestled in the future . This little baby grew up to be a revolutionary leader, a leader whose thinking was centuries ahead of his time. He gave us a way of living if we have the wisdom to follow. He wasn't perfect, in fact he probably gave his parents quite a few sleepless nights. Nor was he a master of diplomacy, but Jesus' teachings are more relevant today than ever. Love, justice, reconciliation, compassion and peace and hope are just a few of the values he taught . Unfortunately, it isn't a popular way because it runs counter-intuitive to the culture we live in.
Advent each year serves to remind us it is never too late to be on 'The Way,' to make a fresh start. It's a little bit like a permanent yearly subscription, gifted free of charge from God to everyone. Pure gift!
Smallness, mystery and wonder, and The Way', three timeless gifts of God offered anew every year and what's more, it's God's resounding and final 'YES' to all creation including humanity - in spite of ourselves.
Happy Christmas!!!
Trish Patrick