Christmas trees and tinsel

Yule logs and holly

Turkey and Christmas pudding

Christmas cards and presents

Shopping and more shopping

And we love it

It has that special atmosphere

Even if during the rest of the year

We don’t have much time for our fellow human beings

At Christmas at least we can feel connected

But what has it all got to do with the birth of Jesus?

The Jesus, who as an adult, would say “go and sell all your possessions

and give them to the poor and then follow me”

And what do we really know about the birth and childhood of Jesus?

Precious little

The historical truth we will never know

But perhaps it’s not important

Perhaps it’s simply a time to celebrate

The manifestation of the divine spirit in the world

Not as a king, or a powerful ruler

Not in a castle, or a church

Not as a respected insider

But as a poor outsider

Born in a stable

An act so powerful

That it challenges our fundamental view

of how we see the world and our own lives in it

And call us to give ourselves in compassionate love

for the poor and powerless

without regard for ourselves

That seems like something worth celebrating.