Some years ago, someone asked me, “why can’t we have a new Bible, as the Bible as we know it is so old and is something from a distant past?” While not able to articulate what that would be like, she felt that people are tired of hearing the same scriptures read and need to experience something new and current.
I believe that she is not alone, even though others may not be dismissive of the entire Bible. Notwithstanding, I sometimes feel, that as Christmas approaches, there are persons in an increasingly secular society who are indifferent to or who reject the Christmas story. They love the music of Christmas with all its nostalgia and emotions, especially the songs which speak of Santa Claus, Christmastime and the Christmas spirit, but which do not focus on the Christ Child, and the theological concept of the Incarnation.
Worldly Versus Divine Power
And yet, I am most aware that this story speaks to the realities of life in our world today. Revisiting St. Luke’s account of the birth narrative, I am struck first, by the way in which he tells the story of those who held power and shaped the life of a nation’s people. At the decree of Emperor Augustus, everyone should be registered, requiring an enforced movement and dislocation for each citizen. That kind of power gives no consideration for the suffering inflicted on the citizens. So, we encounter a couple, with a pregnant wife having to make the trek during which the moment for delivery of her child arrives. In that moment, she is not afforded the dignity of giving birth in a sterile environment, but in a place shared by animals, as “there was no place for them in the inn”.
But, let us not be naïve about the way in which power is exercised in oppressive and suffering-inducing ways in our world, as if it belongs only to the sphere of politics and governance. There is evident today a manifestation of Christianity which has aligned itself with certain political philosophies, structures and organizations; and which is promoting a doctrinaire perspective on the gospel that is alienating human beings without any compassion about its dehumanizing impact that is inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The birth narrative takes us further away from the centre of power and influence to the fields where simple, peasant shepherds are tending and protecting the one precious commodity which they possess – their flock. These are clearly people who live on the margins of society and who are unable to influence the dynamics of life in the community. Yet, it is to this marginal group that divine compassion and mercy are extended through an angel who brings good news and the assurance that they need not be afraid. The message about the birth of a Messiah of the line of David was good news, indicating that they were not just folks marginalized by a system of power and oppression, but children of a loving and compassionate God. The appearance of divine glory with the presence of the heavenly host made all the difference. The song of the heavenly host was about a different power to whom glory was due, and who is the source of peace and well-being for the oppressed.
Today’s Marginalized
The story at the heart of Christmas is as current as it was for those in the biblical narrative. Those who wield power today are as oppressive, demeaning and insensitive to human hurt and suffering as those of old. So, there are more wars in our world today than at any other time in history. We can also see the pictures of destruction and trauma in the Palestinian territories, in Ukraine, in Sudan and countless other places, while the global and national forces behind these wars ignore the human distress while gambling on the potential gains to their self-serving interests. Trillions of United States dollars are spent on military equipment, compared to the expenditure by these nations to alleviate poverty, disease and starvation across the world.
Here in the Caribbean, there is gang violence in Haiti, a situation which did not evolve yesterday, but whose outcome is determined by the interests and agendas of international powers. Another challenge in our Region is the increasing activity by ruthless gangs which use guns imported into our countries. For most of us, gangs include evil men who should be eliminated, and then the life of society will, somehow, be wonderful and peaceful. However, recently, I came upon some research done in one of the countries with the highest level of gang activity. The study found that the emergence of gangs is related to systems of governance and inequalities in the structuring of society. The findings highlight nine factors that create conditions in which gangs thrive. They include food, water, sewer, health, education, family, migration, employment, and political institutions. Does any of this sound familiar? This is not about justifying gangs, crime and violence, but recognizing that the society has many marginalized persons who do not enjoy the benefits accessed by the wealthy and powerful.
The Incarnation Brings Hope
Mary’s husband, Joseph, a carpenter, and the shepherds, were on the margins of society, but they were not violent. Nevertheless, they were all looking for the Messiah, making it clear that they were seeking relief from their condition under Roman colonial control.
At the heart of Christmas stands an infant born to parents who were just statistics in the power play of Herod, and who from his birth was treated as an outsider and excluded. In the narrative, God acts for the well-being of his people who were without power and social standing and who found little to celebrate, but who were able to discern and to respond to what he was doing to affirm their dignity and transform their experience as his beloved children. In the Incarnation, God is revealed as a God of the abandoned, the rejected, the downtrodden, and the despairing, and is present wherever men and women experience these conditions.
Christmas then, is not about laying everything aside and having a good time, but rather, the joyful declaration that, even in these circumstances, there is hope because of the Incarnation which occurred with the birth of Jesus.
Our challenge is to identify persons who are marginalized and powerless, caught up in suffering, sickness, pain, anxiety and violence; and to become advocates and agents of the good news and the hope which God brings to our world in the birth of his Son, Jesus Christ. So, when we celebrate Christmas this year, let us move beyond nostalgia and sentimentality, or sharing the sounds of Christmas music, and festivities in the present moment. In this world, with all that is wrong, may “Peace on earth…” be not just a song to sing, but a vision of the divine mission and purpose to be embraced by each of us, and shared with other persons around us.
++ The Most Rev. Dr. The Hon. Howard Gregory, OJ
Archbishop of the West Indies, Primate and Metropolitan
and Bishop of Jamaica & The Cayman Islands