Christ at Christmas
Dear Parents,
We have lots of Christian families, lots of Sikh families, some Buddhist families, a handful of Muslim families and even some families who don’t yet have a religious focus in their lives, so at Christmastime I see it as helpful to explain the fundamentals behind the celebration of Christmas. As you would assume, Christmas is called ‘Christ’mas because it is all about Christ.
Christmas celebrates the birth of a baby like no other baby.
Even without knowing much about Christianity, around this time of year you’ve probably seen images of a young couple gazing lovingly at their newborn baby. They are depicted in a farm-setting, like a barn, usually surrounded by farm animals. That baby they are staring at is Jesus. He is ‘Christ’ which means He is the central figure of the Christmas story, and the central figure of the eternal story that God is steadily telling.
The couple in those Christmas pictures are Mary and Joseph. Mary was Jesus’ mother, and Joseph took on the role of his earthly father. But Jesus’ true Father was God. That’s why Joseph is often called Jesus’ stepfather; he cared for Jesus on earth, but it was God who placed the child in Mary’s womb.
So, what makes Jesus’ birth so extraordinary is that He was both fully human and fully divine. He popped out into the world from the womb of a young woman, but His origin was not earthly, it was heavenly. This is why we call Jesus the Son of God. He was a child born from God, entrusted to Mary and Joseph to raise.
As I said, you’ll often see animals in these Christmas scenes, and they’re there for a reason. Jesus was born in humble surroundings, a cowshed! Mary and Joseph were young and poor, the village was overcrowded, there was no room elsewhere. Even in those rough, humble conditions, Baby Jesus was King over all creation. Seeing the animals reminds us that His reign includes all living things, all of Creation.
Sometimes the Christmas pictures show other people. Look closely, they are shepherds, and kings. Showing Baby Jesus honoured by poor shepherds and powerful kings symbolises that He is the King of everyone, to be honoured by everyone.
At Christmas, we exchange gifts as a reflection of the gift God gave to us through Jesus. It was a gift to us that Jesus the Christ arrived humbly, simply, through a normal birth like any human baby. God shows us through the humble simplicity of Baby Jesus that there is strength in weakness, there is royalty in humility, that there is salvation in quietness and trust, in repentance and rest.
On behalf of all the staff at MCC, I pray that your Christmas is filled with blessings. We are grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside you in the care and education of your beautiful children.
Dave Gleeson, Principal