Living in the Light of ChristmasScot Bower - 27 Dec 2010
The warmth of Christmas day is still with me, as is that seasonal bloated feeling that comes with eating too much turkey. The Christmas feast stays a while and, in the UK at least, the 26th December is a second public holiday we call Boxing Day. Until recently I had little clue why we called the day after Christmas ‘Boxing’ day, I’d innocently assumed it had something to do with seasonal sports. I wasn’t sure why boxing had been given the nod over the more traditional round of holiday football matches but hadn’t questioned the decision. Imagine my surprise when I learned Boxing Day has nothing at all to do with pugilism and is all about the giving of… Boxes (I should have guessed really!). Boxes that were filled of all kinds of good stuff and then on the day after Christmas distributed to the poor - Poor Boxes.
With the mystery of Boxing Day solved I felt satisfied in my new found knowledge until a friend pointed out that more traditionally, and certainly predating the poor-boxes, the day after Christmas is St Stephen’s day. Stephen the 1st martyr of the church. Stephen the deacon who saw to it that the poor in the community were treated fairly. Stephen the Greek Jew whose amazing summary of Old Testament law and back chat got him into trouble with the council. Stephen who having angered the council to the point where they:
‘were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen full of the Holy Spirit looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look" he said "I see heaven open and the son of man standing at the right hand of God"'(Acts 7 54-56)
Blasphemy for which they dragged him outside, dropped their coats at the feet of a young Saul/Paul and threw rocks at him until he was dead. Stephen.
Stephen is a big deal for the church, especially the early church, the under pressure underground church. He was the first of millions across the centuries to be persecuted and killed for his faith. He’s a great example of how to live well.
Why then is 'his' day hidden in the shadow of Christmas and obscured by boxes?
Is it just ironic that the church calendar moves from arguably the most important, life affirming, celebration of the year and stumbles straight into the death of Stephen? Is there a dichotomy? Does the feast of the birth of our Saviour conflict with that of remembering the vicious execution of one of his followers? Is it really supposed to be ‘happy-sad’?
Thankfully, as you probably guessed, there’s no way the clever folks that pulled the calendar together made such an elementary error. The timing of St Stephen’s day far from being dichotomic is perfectly placed in the wonderful light of Emmanuel day. It’s the light of Jesus’ birth, the coming of Christ to earth that gives light to the life and death of Stephen and encourages all of us to live our lives well.
Several years ago my wife and I gave up good jobs, leadership roles in our little church and sold our house along with pretty much everything we owned that wouldn’t fit in our 20 year old campervan. We took our children and left the country to travel with the intention of learning and helping wherever we went, making friends and hearing stories as we followed Jesus around Europe on an adventure.
At the time colleagues spoke about how envious they were, how they wished they could do the same thing. Most of my friends could have done exactly what we were doing, and as most were single and in their mid-twenties for some it would have been easier for them to leave jobs they confessed they were bored by and strike out on their own adventure. Yet not one has. And you can’t blame them. I wouldn’t. It sounds idiotic! Leave a good job, forfeit career, take yourself off the housing ladder? and all for what?
Without Jesus calling us on, without Christ at the centre, our lives, our adventures count for nothing. But with Jesus we have lives lived in the light of Christmas day, where we walk with the Emmanuel God, and they have new purpose. The object of these lives is entirely different to those where faith and specifically a faith in Jesus is missing.
To quote a seasonal figure:
‘No regret can make amends for ones life’s opportunities misused’ – Jacob Marley (A Christmas Carol)
Jesus gives us new opportunity, realigns our life and asks us to shoot for something different. The only regret we can have is to ignore the call and to go on living as we did before.
That’s why St Stephens day proceeds from the majesty and joy of Christmas day and that’s how we are to live our lives; in the light of Christmas, with Easter ahead of us and our Emmanuel leading us. Happy St Stephen's day.