Not Everything that Glitters is Gold

This is my second attempt at writing a blog about Christmas 2020. My first attempt went on and on and as I went down various rabbit holes, which seems appropriate, because that's kind of the point of this blog. Not everything that glitters is gold; some of it is fool's gold, and this is seen very clearly at Christmas time when so many of us are inclined to chase the shiny objects waved in front of our faces down any number of rabbit holes: the rabbit hole of debt; the rabbit hole of perfectionism; the rabbit hole of unrealistic expectations. If there's one thing that COVID-19 has done for us in 2020, I believe it has really led us to reflect on what matters and to rid ourselves of the fluff and the excess. And let’s face it, there is no holiday with more fluff and excess than Christmas. Of course, the first Christmas wasn't like that. Luke records that a great company of the heavenly Host praised God at the birth of Jesus, singing, “Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:13-14). Peace and favor. Ponder those words and what they mean. How much peace has our world had had in 2020? How much favor and goodwill has there been in 2020?

Matthew 1:22-23 states the following:

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which means, “God with us.”

God with us. You can’t pare down Christmas any more than that. God with us during a pandemic…God with us during tough economic times…God with us during painful times of isolation…God with us during social unrest and uncertainty. 2020 may be the perfect year to reflect on what all of this means.  If the meaning of Christmas is “God with us,” this is the perfect time to “make Christmas last all year,” as some are wont to say. Not with eggnog, wrapped gifts, or Christmas carols, but with a deeper realization of what truly matters once we strip away the glitz and packaging.

I love Christmas time. I always have. I love the decorations, the gifts, the food, the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells. Yet I’m okay with having a simpler, more stripped-down Christmas this year, because I have the two things that matter most in the world to me, my relationship with God through the Lord Jesus and the people I love. As much as I love the trappings of Christmas, I will gladly forgo all of it, because I already have all I need. God is still with us even without the gold and glitter; the Christmas glitter isn’t real gold, and it doesn’t last. God gave us in Jesus something that lasts for all eternity. Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace to men on whom his favorite rests. It's okay if this is not a typical Christmas; it's okay if it's even a bit of a melancholy Christmas, because this has been a difficult year and it’s okay to be honest about it. The superficial glitter of Christmas can make lonely, isolated people feel even lonelier. It may seem like everyone else is going to parties, spending time with family, laughing, feeling loved. This is a year when we’ve all experienced loneliness and isolation from loved ones. Maybe this year we have a better understanding of what the chronically lonely experience every Christmas and maybe, this year, it’s become clearer that we all suffer the same frailties, disappointments, and broken dreams. Maybe we’re more alike than we knew. Merry Christmas.