The Earthiness Of The Story Of Christmas Is Why It Still Resonates With Me - Jeff Wiersma

Perhaps my favorite thing about the story of Christmas is that it is so relatable it is to real life.  Afterall, the story doesn’t take place in luxurious palaces or a golden crib, and the characters in it aren’t the who’s who of society or those living in comfort and privilege.  Rather, the story involves everyday people living ordinary lives who are receptive to the part which they can play in the extraordinary love of God breaking into our world.



This earthiness and grittiness of the story of Christmas is why it still continues to resonate with me, because the reality is that everyday life can sometimes - or oftentimes - be really difficult for a lot of us. 



And despite everything - despite how life can be really difficult sometimes, despite how the world can feel really heavy, despite the disappointments which I’ve had over the years and how they can cause me to tend toward cynicism, in spite of those times when things can feel hopeless - I can’t be untouched or unaffected by the simple beauty and hope of the story of Christmas.  

Even during times when my instinctual reaction is to try to wall myself off from it or to try achieve some emotional distance from it, that real life hope and beauty work their way in somehow despite my stubborn best efforts to prevent it.