Christmas is coming! Or depending on your age it may be ‘The Holidays are Coming! Whilst researching these two songs on Wikipedia I discovered that the first one was a traditional nursery rhyme and was first found in print in 1885 and in the 1960’s a field recording was made by Jack Elliot of Birtley, Co Durham - so just down the road. Growing up in the 1980’s the father of one of the young people who attended a youth group that I went to in Chester-le-Street was called Jack Elliott so perhaps I knew the singer! ‘The Holidays are coming’ was the soundtrack of a well-known drink’s company that first aired 30 years ago and has since become an iconic advert each Christmas.

 

As far as shoppers are concerned, Christmas has been coming since at least the start of October as some Christmas merchandise has been in the shops alongside merchandise for Halloween. I do know some people who start their Christmas shopping a few days after Christmas!

 

So, are you ready because Christmas/the Holidays are coming? Some of you may have dates in the diary for celebrations such as parties at work or school, meals out with friends or as part of a group that you belong to. You may have booked your delivery food slot to ensure that you get a time convenient for you or perhaps you have booked to have your Christmas lunch at a restaurant or at a family member’s home. Even though Christmas comes around at the same time each year (unlike Easter which moves depending on the first full moon after the vernal equinox) it often creeps up on us and we end up in a panic trying to ensure that it is a perfect day.

 

And yet that first Christmas was anything but perfect. Even though the Jewish Scriptures promised a Messiah would be born it wasn’t what they had been expecting. The signs had been there but they had failed to notice them. God appeared to Mary to tell her that she would give birth to a Son. This would not have been easy for Mary to hear as she was to marry Joseph and could have been ostracised by him, their families and their community because she was pregnant before marriage. God appeared to Joseph who agreed to continue with his plans to marry Mary. King Herod then called a decree that ordered them to go to their home town to register. Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem where they discovered there was no rooms available and had to shelter in a barn where she gave birth. That wouldn’t have been what was planned. The first visitors were the shepherds who had heard about the birth whilst tending their sheep and were encouraged to go and visit this baby. Shepherds were often thought of as outcasts because their lifestyle prevented them from regularly attending the synagogue to worship God. The wise men thought this baby would have been born in Jerusalem in the home of King Herod and had to be re-directed to Bethlehem. 

 

Just as in the childhood game Hide and Seek, Christmas is coming, the holidays are coming whether we are ‘ready or not’. Just as it wasn’t perfect over 2,000 years ago, if our Christmas celebration isn’t how we imagined it God will still come looking for us and will invite us to be part of his family gathering where we may know His Love that came down at Christmas. Christmas/the holidays are coming ready or not.

 

May you have a Merry Christmas

 

God bless,

Lynda