Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged - an alternative Christmas message

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8

Not the usual Christmas message. No “A child is born” or “Peace and Goodwill to all Men”. The traditional images of Christmas depict the birth of our Lord Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem. Over the years our perceptions of Christmas have dramatically changed. Children of many generations struggled to sleep on the night of 24^th December as they listened out for sleigh bells. The ringing, or beeping in the digital age, of the till has replaced the tinkling of Rudolph and his chums.

Christmas has always been a time for gathering families together; for the exchanging of gifts; for gorging over turkey, Brussels sprouts, little sausages covered in bacon, Christmas pudding and mince pies; a time for drinking and eating too much and a time for falling asleep in front of the Queen’s speech and Morecambe and Wise.

These days, the whole period seems to be just a celebration of spending money not yet earned in order to try to satisfy our media-hyped hunger for the latest trinkets and toys. The iPad has replaced the train set; the wii supersedes the humble teddy bear.

Christmas increasingly becomes a daunting time for many families; more so those fragmented by relationship breakups. There never seems to be enough money to go around. The author keeps hearing people complain, “I just can’t get in to the Christmas spirit”, and empathises totally with that cry. Am I alone in the fear that my small offerings will not be sufficient when it comes to the extended family handing out of presents? I suspect not.

Divorcees and those separated from their spouses face a particularly difficult time over the festive season. Trying to please everyone, not wishing to disappoint or offend family members or in-laws, can turn Christmas into a trial for many. Before I start spouting “Bah, humbug!” at the whole holiday debacle, time for a rethink, maybe.

The message of Christmas is crying out to be taken back to its roots; a time for celebrating the birth of our Messiah. I appreciate many readers of this message will not even believe in Jesus; indeed, pagan celebrations at this time of year predate Christianity. Most will, however, recognise the erosion of family values that has contributed to turning Christmas into a retail-led feeding frenzy.

I know many families will actually be enjoying the festivities as they are meant to be celebrated. It is refreshing to hear of friends experiencing the joy of Christmas as it was intended; the celebration of the birth of a king who will lead us from repression and slavery into forgiveness and healing.

For those of us who can become anxious and saddened by the world around us at this time of the year, praise God for his promises. He goes before us and will never leave or forsake us.

Happy Christmas everyone.