“Where are you Christmas?  Why can’t I find you?” Cindy Lou Who

“And this will be the sign to you; you will find the Babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12

Where will you find Christ this Christmas? 

I guess to address this question we first have to understand what “Christ” means.  It is a title, or a description, not a person.  Jesus was the person who was called “Christ”.  And Christ means Anointed One. But it means more than that.  Christ is the unifying principal for all that is good, all that is beautiful, all that is loving, all that is giving and forgiving, all that is peaceful, all that is joyful, all that is merciful, all that is gracious.  You get the idea.  Christ is that which represents, or maybe we could say embodies, all the elements that are Divine.

Whether people realize it or not, that’s what we’re looking for at Christmas.  It’s a magical time of year when we want to enjoy all that is best about the world, and humanity, when we want to experience harmony (maybe that’s why Christmas songs seem so meaningful), and forget all the dissonance, be it in the world or in our own lives. 

And so, like Cindy Lou Who, we ask the question, “Where are you, Christ(mas)?”  And how would you answer?  Where do you find Christ(mas)?

Each of us will have to answer that question for ourselves.  But perhaps one place to begin was with the direction given by the angels to the shepherds on that first Christmas.  “You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” 

To better appreciate this, it’s important to understand that these were no run of the mill shepherds.  They were what was called “Levitical Shepherds” who were tending the flock that was being used specifically for the temple sacrifices.  From their flock would come the pure and unblemished lambs that would be offered for sacrifice.  Tradition says that these shepherds tended carefully to the birth of each lamb, to ensure nothing would happen to it that would mar its shape or appearance.  In fact, one source postulated that they might even wrap the lambs in swaddling clothes.

And what were those swaddling clothes?  They were essentially rags tied together with which a newborn would be wrapped tightly after birth to give it the sense of still being in the cozy confines of its mother’s womb.  For those who were poor, like Mary and Joseph, these swaddling clothes would’ve been akin to rags.  The manger could’ve been a cave, as has been part of tradition, or it might have been the stone feeding trough that was found in the dwelling place for the animals, often-times located adjacent to the modest home.  In either case, we know that it would’ve been very simple and basic.

So when one combines the swaddling clothes with the manger, the clear message is conveyed to the shepherds that they would find The Christ Child, this little sacrificial lamb, not in palatial surroundings, but in a poor and simple setting.

So what does that say to us as we consider that question, “Where can I find Christ(mas)?”

I would say not in the places I usually look.  Not in the expensive gifts, the fine food, the decorations that have to be “just right”.  Don’t misunderstand, I really appreciate all of that, and probably spend too much time and money on them.  But in the end, those are not the “things” that carry, contain, and convey those lasting characteristics of the Christ that were previously mentioned.

The ones wrapped in swaddling clothes are my family, perhaps a few of my friends.  I found Christ(mas) this year on my trip to Cambodia, with the children of Ray of Hope, some of whom are not nicely clothed and sleep in conditions that could be compared to a manger. And I experienced it by listening to a friend who is having a tough time this Christmas due to the death of her son earlier this year.  And I experienced it watching my oldest daughter perform as part of the Rocky Mountain Revels.  And I experienced it with my other children and grandchildren.  And I experienced it ever so briefly with a twelve-year-old boy who on Friday was working with his mother in her alterations shop, serving as her translator for customers.  And I experienced it in a quiet, simple Christmas Eve service at a small, unassuming church in the mountains.  And probably in other places that I’m not remembering right now or have yet to experience.

That’s where I’m finding Christ(mas). How about you?