Christmas is also a time where a lot of pain comes to the surface. In this time that is supposed to be a happy time, the unhappiness that we live in comes out. Depression overcomes many of us. The stress of all the activities and schedules will overtake many. Remembering those who have died and our failed relationships will haunt us.
I believe these things show us why Christmas is so important. The dysfunctional family that hurts this time of year is a picture of the dysfunctional relationship that mankind has with God. The reason that God came, was to heal that relationship between us and Him.
Contrarily to popular opinion, God is not some angry narcissist. God desires to be friends with us and for us to be happy. He is the God who put a naked man and a naked woman in a perfect paradise and basically told them to have sex and to keep having sex until there was no more room for another person to be born. He is a God who would come by in the evenings and just hang out with them.
Then after Jesus came into this world, we see God as one who liked to hang out with the people who the seminary trained leaders of his day, condemned. He ate and drank and partied with those people. He even provided wine when the host ran out at one of those parties. He told us, as well as those seminary trained leaders that He preferred mercy over sacrifice. He also would describe his kingdom in terms of a big banquet or party where there was music and food and even dancing.
The bible also tells us that when that kingdom is fully restored, God will be a personable God. He will be among the people with hugs, wiping away tears and healing hurts. It will be a perfect paradise.
This way of living is all about love. When love is the driving force, then there is no need for laws, because love will cause us to act rightly. This is what God set up in the beginning and Christmas marks the time when God came into this world to right that relationship.
