Nobody puts baby Jesus in a corner.

Ok so really, I'm not a Dirty Dancing crazy person. Since this is the second post out of the last 4 that includes a Dirty Dancing reference, I must begin with this disclaimer. Really. I'm not.

Actually, "Nobody puts baby Jesus in a corner" belongs to the every-funny, always-showing-me-a-glimpse-of-the-flip-side-of-Christianity Unvirtuous Abbey. 90% of the time those posts make me laugh, think, or at least slow down during a routine feed scroll. I've been considering for the last two weeks how to introduce this topic weighing on my mind and that post has hit it on the head.

Christmas is what you make of it people.

I've heard numerous references to the monotonous call for putting Christ back into Christmas. Now we cry, who ever took him out? Enough already. If Christmas feels limited or stolen or muted then open it up, steal it back, and start coloring with a neon crayon! Taking issue to an innocent wish of, "Happy Holidays" is not going to make your "Merry Christmas" any more truthful! What will make Christmas truly more meaningful is putting thought into the ways in which we celebrate.

In the last couple of years we saw the invention of a new tradition that has received mixed reviews...the Elf on the Shelf. Maybe you're a supporter. Perhaps you're a vehement dissenter. I'd like to say this. As a product of a small town steeped in "what we've always done" and a lifelong follower of Jesus Christ within an established church where it's no longer cliche but just innately natural to "do what we've always done"...praise the Lord there are new traditions such as the Elf on the Shelf. I mean come on, that's just creativity at it's finest! If you're not familiar with Elf on the Shelf, here it is in brevity. There is in fact an Elf doll that parents purchase from the store and bring home to the kids. The kids name it, play with it, and then before bedtime it's put up presumably "on the shelf." The Elf's main job is to watch the children at all times and report back to Santa on their behavior. Thus, the Elf serves the purpose of exciting the children at Christmas while simultaneously assisting parents with discipline while said excitement grows and grows...and grows. Parents are encouraged to play along by moving the Elf in the night portraying its own personality. Sometimes it lands itself in precarious, funny, kind, or even a bit mischievous positions. Oh, and it comes with a book, I think.

But seriously, I'm really impressed with this idea. I mean, it fits right into the story. Santa has such a big job keeping track of every boy and girl IN THE WORLD it's only natural that there's some sort of heirarchical management system. And Santa obviously has to remain at the North Pole, especially so close to Christmas Eve that obviously he would depend on elves to do some of the preliminary legwork for him. And what better way to encourage imagination and creativity than all these crazy conundrums that the Elf concocts or "gets into" during the night? And don't kid yourself. Such creative endevours are not just productive for the kids getting into the spirit of the holiday, it keeps parents engaged as well.

Some complain that the Elf does not encourage the right attitude for the Christmas season. Christmas is about more than receiving gifts. Some say that teaching children to behave well only because someone might see them misbehaving is the wrong way to parent. Probably the most compelling argument is simply that the Elf on the Shelf is....Creepy. I must say that while I support the ingenuity of this invention, I agree wholeheartedly with all of these complaints. But that's no reason to claim that Christmas has been stolen. I recently started a new tradition with our kids...the UNselfish Elf. (Teehee, see what I did there? Ahem, and thanks to Rev. Dan Hurlbert for the name.) Ok fine. It wasn't exactly my idea, I found it here. Our Unselfish Elf follows the same pattern of getting into mischief while the kids sleep, but his aims are for things that will shine the light that Jesus brought into the world for all to see. He has encouraged us to go Christmas caroling to the neighbors, to bake cookies and give them away, to go and visit a friend who is recovering from surgery and another who is grieving the loss of a family member. What is Christmas really about after all?

Christmas is about the contrast between dark and light. The world lay in darkness and then there shone a great light. Christ is born into seemingly unworthy circumstances. There was nothing about Mary or Joseph or Bethlehem or Nazareth that could claim they were worthy of carrying, birthing, parenting, or hosting the divine child. And Jesus was not born with the expectations we might think of today. Jesus came bearing just one gift. It was the greatest of all and dwarfs anything we could possibly give in return: love. Advent and Christmas are the beginning of this one epic story that Christians come back to time and time again where even death cannot overcome the light and the reason is as simple and complex as that one word: love.

So don't let baby Jesus be put in a corner. Find the ways that what you do and how you see the world just fit right into the story! Expand those traditions, tweak them and twist them! Imagine what that light could shine upon and show to us that is brand new! If you are in need of something to awaken you to the season this year I pray that you take notice. Christ is making all things new. Merry Christmas!

If you're looking for a church to celebrate with, I'd love to welcome you to the church where I currently serve. Here's what we have coming up:
Dec. 22nd: Worship at 8:00am and 9:30am
Dec. 24th: All services include a Candlelit closing
5:30 Children's Impromptu Christmas Pageant. All children present will be able to participate up front...so cool!
7:30 Traditional worship with carols and candlight
11:00 Worship with Communion
Dec. 29th: Worship at 8:00am and 9:30am. Shameless plug: I'm preaching!
Find more information through the Tempe First UMC website.