Nativity Scene by G Cuffia
Either Christmas happened or it didn’t. To call the gospel historically false and yet try to save it in order to make it matter, to create a metaphorical middle ground that can inspire us all, is to be patronizingly dismissive to the audacious level of the claim itself. No matter how inspiring a legend may be (say Robin Hood for instance), the details themselves aren’t truly significant (that is the poor people that Robin Hood allegedly helped weren’t in fact helped). But if the legend were true, then it does not merely inspire or instruct but can actually affect the course of human history. Take that to the level of an account about God becoming human for you and I (“What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us?”) and then we see just how patronizing it is to make it into some kind of useful fable to merely inspire happy or holy feelings. If it didn’t happen, there’s absolutely no need to “fall on your knees” to a false god. Wisdom indicates we not simply justify whatever sounds good. Rather, a humble “ask, seek, knock” seems the best method for coming to a conclusion about life and death issues like this. Take a moment to examine your heart and mind. Do you find yourself asking or telling? Seeking or hiding? Knocking or walking on by?
Erik
Stephen Dawe
Liam
