It's about the baby

Among the vast array of television channels available to us in Europe are two channels dedicated to classical music performances.

It goes without saying that these channels provide a superb selection.

Susan and I especially enjoy solo performances with orchestral backing. Piano, violin and vocal virtuosi are at their very best when accompanied by the great orchestras of Europe. Fabulous! But my attention is often drawn away from the solo performer to observe the demeanour of the people behind who are providing the accompaniment. Th is is most interesting when there is a violin soloist—it’s fascinating to watch the other violinists in the background and try to imagine their thoughts.

A frequent performer is young American violin virtuoso Joshua Bell. In demand as a performer all around the world, Joshua plays a 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin that he bought a few years ago for US $4 million. The story of the violin is amazing in itself, but the music Joshua Bell makes on it is even more amazing.

Joshua performs before vast adoring audiences all around the world. Behind him sit other violin players of all ages, equally committed to making great music. The spotlight is on Joshua, not them. They couldn’t afford a US$ 4 million violin even if they saved for the rest of their lives. His name is a household word in music circles; theirs are unknown to all but their friends and family. The ovations are for the soloist, not for the orchestra. He, no doubt, goes back to a hotel suite in a limousine; they probably catch the Metro.

Centre stage in the Christmas nativity scene is a baby—a little bundle of newness, utterly dependent on his parents for care and attention. The backing cast includes some bewildered shepherds, some ecstatic angels, sooner or later the wise men, some farm animals, and maybe the inn keeper and his family. Near the centre of this scene are Mary and Joseph, suddenly and frighteningly thrust into a situation beyond their full understanding.

It all seems simple enough. The baby at the centre is the promised and prophesied Saviour of the world. God the Father has dispatched him to earth to experience all the joys and pain it can offer, as well as all its temptations and opportunities for compromise. Those gathered around this baby are simply ‘members of the orchestra’ providing the backing music for the story.

Mary steps into the spotlight

The peculiar truth of history is that men and women, for whatever motives, have drawn the world’s attention away from the baby at the centre of the scene.

First to be pushed to the centre is Mary, the surrogate mother of the Son of God. Make no mistake, Mary is a fine example of submission to God’s will. She was obedient even when she didn’t understand, despite great risk to her own reputation. Without question, Mary was chosen by God for a special task. The angel came and assured her: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God’ (Luke 1:30).

There can be no questioning the faith and devotion of this young woman. Yet down through Christian history there have been people and institutions whose respect for this faithful but very human servant of God has led them to worship her, pray to her, and even place her in a position as practically the fourth person of the Godhead.

Millions of people around the world hold these views. The spotlight goes off the divine Son of God who is the world’s Saviour, and onto a humble carpenter’s wife who lived and died 2000 years ago.

The Salvation Army honours the faith of Mary and regards her as a wonderful example for us. Of course, some would claim they don’t actually worship Mary; rather, they ‘venerate’ her. Our personal observations over a number of years living in South America and Southern Europe lead us to the conclusion that this is simply splitting hairs and that the average worshipper in many of these contexts is unable to diff erentiate between adoration and veneration.

This could clearly be a divisive discussion, which is not my intention. What I mean to emphasise is that Jesus must be kept at the centre of the Christian’s world—and at the centre of our Christmas focus. Jesus is the sinless one whom we worship. He is the head of the Church. He is our Saviour. As the Old Testament prophet Isaiah prophesied about Jesus: He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well (Isaiah 53:5, CEV). Jesus is the meaning in the Christmas story!

Here comes Santa Claus

But another character has also arrived on the scene to take centre place in the Christmas narrative. And the blame for this doesn’t lie with a theologian in the dim dark past, but a clever advertising illustrator in the 1930s. He wasn’t the inventor of Santa Claus, but he brought him to worldwide public awareness through an advertising campaign for the Coca Cola company in the United States, which was trying to find ways to promote its beverage during the winter months.

The elves, the reindeer and the workshop at the North Pole came into being in the 19th century, but Coca Cola captured the public imagination with Santa Claus … and one thing led to another. Jesus was again pushed to the side as another character—this one not even part of the original cast list in Bethlehem—stepped into the spotlight.

The sad fact is that each new childish myth is a step further away from the baby at the centre of it all. While this might all be looked upon as harmless fun to entertain children, there is no escaping the fact that for many kids, Christmas is focused on Father Christmas and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.

Let’s face it, Christmas for the average Kiwi seems to be about overspending, over-eating and drinking to excess. The religious meaning has long since disappeared. In fact, there are places where Christmas religious displays in public places or at schools are forbidden. At the same time, in the name of tolerance, growing attention is given to religious observances of other world faiths, such as the Diwali festival of the Hindus, which continues to grow in prominence in New Zealand cities.

Go with the flow?

So what on earth are Christians to do? Well, we could just give up and go with the flow. Face up to the fact that there’s not a lot we can do in the face of a secularised, consumerised Christmas. Let’s join the crowds at the mall and spend our money on gifts and food—but let’s feel a little smug while doing it, because we’re doing it for the ‘right’ reasons. We’re spending all that cash for Jesus—it’s his birthday! 

Or perhaps we could find some positive and practical and achievable ways to make a diff erence. We’re not asked to change the whole world, but we are certainly expected, in the words of the old song, to ‘brighten the corner where we live’. We can touch lives around us—and God will help us. As we cooperate with God, this will also make Christmas brighter for us.

Here are a few ideas:

• instead of giving Christmas gifts to people who don’t really need them or expect them, why not help people in need overseas?
• organise a street party with your neighbours. Maybe a little vocal or brass group could come along and sing some carols.
• Christmas is the perfect time to invite someone to worship— most churches have special events at this time of year. (Go to www.salvationarmy.org.nz/centres for details of local Salvation Army churches.)
• insert into your family celebration a time of reflection and thanksgiving—read the Christmas story and thank God for sending his son to be our Saviour
• prepare a small meaningful gift with a Christmas message for your neighbours or work colleagues (perhaps a copy of War Cry, for instance).
• send Christmas cards and emails that focus on the Saviour, rather than on winter scenes, Father Christmas, reindeer and Christmas trees.

Throughout Christian history, there has been a subtle or sometimes not so subtle shift of the attention away from the Christ-child.

But this is absurd. It’s like a virtuoso violinist being upstaged by the accompanying players who push forward to take the applause.

In the end, it is really about turning the spotlight back on to Jesus. And that’s something that we can all help with. It’s our job as members of the vast backing orchestra of Christian believers to focus on the One who deserves to take centre stage.

By Gordon Daly (abridged from War Cry, Christmas 2012, p 15-17)

Lieut-Colonel Gordon Daly is a New Zealander currently serving as command leader of the Portugal Command