Someone told me recently, \u201cI just don\u2019t get all caught up in theological dogma.\u201d\u009d As the days of our lives slip by, it is possible that a person might not get all caught up in the true theology behind this \u201cmost wonderful time of the year.\u201d\u009d And with eggnog in hand still want his or her Christmas to be a time for proclaiming peace and good will (not peace because of the birth of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away our sin giving us peace with God; not that, just \u201cpeace and good will\u201d\u009d, a kind of mantra for postmodern America.)<\/p>\n
So it is possible, at least for a while, to ignore the real meaning of Christmas. That is, as long as the internal and external events of my life proceed according to my plans; as long as I can keep at bay all forms of guilt from years of things done and left undone; as long as I can gloss over the world\u2019s darkness to which the prophet Isaiah has alluded; as long as I can fend off the awareness that one day I too will die. For that long I can get by in this world without concerning myself with the truest meaning of Christmas.<\/p>\n
But as soon as anything breaks through my delusional reality; as soon as guilt robs me of my peace, as soon as death threatens me, then absolutely nothing will matter more than the theological truth behind the Nativity.<\/p>\n