Life can be hard, but it is good. What can possibly be said about Christmas which has – in the 2,025 years since the birth of Jesus Christ – not already been said? Probably not much.
We could note the circumstances of His appearance, miraculous in countless ways, and how his arrival shook the pillars of what was then the center of human power, or considered itself to be.
We could note that when the Creator of the Universe came, He chose extreme humility, entering the world to be wrapped in swaddling clothes. He would depart the same way, in extreme humility.
We could note that His arrival, birth to the humble Virgin – destined to be honored for eternity – occurred in a cave or manger, no human fanfare, no flag raising, except by Heaven itself.
We could note that in place of trumpets, God the Father sent an angel – not to shiver the spines of shepherds and kings but to warm weary souls and still their unsettled hearts. The angel said: “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news, that will cause great joy for all the people…”
We could note that most shocks occur in a single moment. The shock of God arriving in our world, to walk among us, then to teach, and finally to die for our sins – began in this moment.
We could recall that news often arrives while we are working, like those shepherds at night – until “the glory of the Lord shone around them” and the biggest event in human history occurred.
We might remind each other of what happened next. The angel invited them to meet their Savior, God in our world, a baby. “Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.”
We might transport ourselves back there, imagining the shock of a quiet night interrupted by “the glory of the Lord” and then an angel, sudden fear, then comfort, recollection of a promise from the Old Testament – which at the time was the only testament – of a coming Savior.
Then, as these shepherds tried to make sense of this unprecedented announcement and invitation into history, “suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest…and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.’”
And then the angel and heavenly host – angels in chorus – left. These poor shepherds, soon to become iconic, stood in shock. “When the angels had left them and gone into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they proceeded to search out Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.
They then told others, and “all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them,” just as those who would later see Christ after His resurrection would tell others, encounter amazement.
At this entrance of God – Creator of All – into the world, one can only imagine the overwhelming moment. First shepherds, then kings, came to adore the King, God in the flesh. Mary and Joseph must have been overwhelmed. “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” A mortal baby’s birth is miraculous, humbling the hardened. How much more for this birth?
But then, as mentioned above, we have heard about this miracle all our lives, celebrated it, pondered it – sometimes for long minutes, other times too quickly – and gone on. What more can be said?
Perhaps just this: To me, the defining element of this moment, Christmas, is hope – but not hope alone. Beyond hope is the overwhelming nature of God’s love, angels summoning the world’s love for a baby, the baby who will grow and teach and love the world so much that, as His father gave Him to us, he gave Himself to us – and in that act promised us eternal love.
Hard to comprehend, and perhaps all that God does is, Christmas puts me in mind of another verse, much removed. Christ speaking to his disciples in John 13:34 says: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
Christmas is – as all of Christ’s life and sacrifice was – about love. So how do we internalize or operationalize, or make happen, this plea that we show love? If we are equal to our time, we must refresh. Today, as then, love is about suffering for others, forgiving, patience, and kindness. Life can be hard…but it is also good, and better when we remember where Christmas leads.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!
