The Divine Spark
It has been a busy time between Thanksgiving and Christmas as I’ve been getting ready for the season. Even though my daughters are grown with families of their own, I still do some decorating, as well as sending out cards, meeting up with friends, buying gifts, knitting gifts - the usual flurry of activity that surrounds the holiday. And we do all these things at this time of year because - well… because they evoke memories of Christmases past; some good, and some not so good. Christmas is a holiday for many of us with deep roots in our identity, in memories of childhood, in images that arouse emotions running long and sweet in our hearts of love, of wonder, of joy- and sometimes of longing, loneliness and sadness. Christmas is a mixed bag - whether or not we admit it.
Christmas is also holiday steeped in symbolism: Christmas trees (colored lights? white lights? real? artificial?); ornaments (all one color? only handmade? antique glass balls? a collection from family members long gone?); Christmas baking (Christmas cookies? stollen? plum pudding?); Christmas dinner (on Christmas Eve? Christmas Day? Roast Beef? The Feast of Seven Fishes? Tourtiere?) - each ethnic group bringing its own special contribution of the things that “make” a proper Christmas. Our symbolism is real and deep; it resonates with long-held memories and brings forth much of what we treasure about this time of year.
One symbol that pretty much transcends all traditions in the Christian stream is the Nativity Scene. For Christians, the sentiments that surround “their” particular nativity set, or creche, may or may not remind them of what Christmas is really about; nonetheless, many Christian homes will display “their” Nativity set with pride of place, maybe a little bit of awe. What many may not know is that the first Nativity Scene was a live scene arranged for the village of Assisi by St. Francis. It was in line with his personal evangelization philosophy of preaching by action- only using words if absolutely necessary. His own theology was based on the Incarnation - that is, God, the Divine One, coming to earth and being embodied in human form. He believed that the Incarnation was the single-most important event in the history of mankind’s redemption - greater, even, than the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. His setting up of a live Nativity in the forest outside Assisi was his way of showing the people that the coming of Jesus was real, was true, was eternal. The Incarnation set into motion our redemption. Without the birth of Jesus, there would have been no life of Jesus; no death, no resurrection, no redemption.
But even more than that - Francis’ view of the Incarnation colored his entire view of life, of the Divine, of creation, of humanity itself. Incarnational theology says that when Jesus the Son of God was born of a woman, God intended for us to understand - to come to know deep within our own souls - just how amazingly holy and divine humanity was. Jesus became our blueprint; he became a living, breathing, personal representation of the Divine One incorporated into humanity. The Good News was - and still is - that God sent Jesus not just for the sake of redemption, but to also show each and every one of us that we are a perfect reflection of the Divine; a mirror-image of God within the human form. Just as Jesus was, so are we. Jesus’ coming in human form was God declaring that He’d never stopped loving His greatest creation miracle; the human being. The Incarnation set into motion the entire redemption story, yes; but it also revealed God’s unceasing love for man and woman, for humanity in its broken messiness. The baby Jesus in the manger conveys a love that is real and eternal - for all humankind.
The Nativity scene, with all of its elements: the virgin birth, an infant born in a stable with animals all around; the angels and shepherds, the visiting wise men - they are all symbols of that greater mystery of the Incarnation, of Divine Spirit enshrined in human form. God reveals in the Nativity that regardless of how rough-hewn our foundation, of how smelly the creatures that live within and around us, no matter the rags of sorrow and heartache that we swaddle around our brokenness - we are loved.
The Incarnation also promises hope; that even in the mess of our human distress, difficulties and despair, we have a spark of the Divine One within us, His very image that shines forth from a fragile and often broken human vessel. Our hope is that because there is a Divine spark within each of us, we have the capacity to love, to care, to bless. Our hope is knowing that in a broken world, the Divine within will never die, will never fade - but will always redeem. Always.
May your Christmas be filled with His love and hope. Merry Christmas.