Cheer Up — It’s Christmas!
Americans of all stripes could use a tale of comfort and hope right about now. Good thing we've got the Christmas story.
Billions of people believe this story, which is only the prologue to a longer narrative. They suffer for this story. They survive for it. Sometimes they die for it. For believers, this story brings tidings of comfort and joy.
But in these difficult days, perhaps even non-believers can take some comfort in the story of Christmas. Certainly they can find inclusion in a narrative that showcases the speech-impaired, the doubting, the empowered women both young and old, the he-man protector-types, the showfolk (two songs!), the policy wonks, the farmers, the friends of animals, the professors, the privileged, and even the service industries.
With only a little effort, one can find even more: wonder at a mythology that departs from any other mythology to introduce not a god, but God-made-man; esteem in the notion that humanity is so valued and beloved of its Creator that he would want to set his tent among theirs; joy in a story of stars and angelsong and new life, and most of all — hope: that what has gone wrong may be made right; that frightening realities can be borne and incalculable debts paid down, that darkness may be pierced and shelter may be found.
We do not always understand a story at its beginning, or even in mid-narrative; endings are not always obvious.
Like the story of America, the Nativity of the Christ is a story of people drawn together from disparate lives, toward something brand new, something troubling to some and mysterious to most. But it is only a prologue. The story goes on, with dreadful twists — slaughter of innocents, flights of refuge, prophecies, intrigues, trickery, and stupid mistakes that no shepherd or king or mute old priest could ever have dreamed up. The ending breaks your heart, until three days later it reveals its secret — that the story does not end at all, that it goes on and on, still. It makes all things new.
The ringing-bowl emptiness of 2008 would appear to be the conclusion of the American prologue; but the story of Christmas is an invitation to hope for all who feel hopeless, or whose optimism has run dry. Even if one chooses not to believe, it reassures us that mid-narratives are always full of conflict and chaos and traps and treachery, but the story goes on. Merry Christmas.
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Elizabeth Scalia is a contributing writer to First Things Magazine and the blogger known as The Anchoress.
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17 Comments
1. vivo:Merry Christmas everybody!!
Dec 25, 2008 - 4:25 am 2. formwiz:The Anchoress’ point about non-believers is very well-taken. Even the miltant secularists of the Left must couch their doctrines in the style and substance of Christianity. That is the power of the Christian message and why it will always prevail.
Dec 25, 2008 - 4:49 am 3. The Historian:MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE LEFT COAST & ELVIS
Enjoy the Holiday Season, we will all be back to reality in January:
http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/have-very-merry-christmas.html
Dec 25, 2008 - 10:31 am 4. Jim Hicks:Another great article.
Merry Christmas to all.
Dec 25, 2008 - 10:57 am 5. Dr. Lumplevin:But in these difficult days, perhaps even non-believers can take some comfort in the story of Christmas.(Scalia)
Dec 25, 2008 - 11:43 am 6. vanderleun:Although my highly scientific, intelligent mind has great difficulty in finding something of worth in this infantile myth, I can see perhaps a comforting, inspiring analogy – a savior arises out of questionable birth details to come save us from our sins of greed, oppresion of the world, racism, captalist accumulation and imperialism to redeem us and bring peace and joy to the world.
You’re talking about Lenin, right?
How’d that work out?
Dec 25, 2008 - 12:04 pm 7. jvon:Merry Christmas to everybody! Even Dr. Lumplevin, who is loved by our Creator whether he believes in Him or not.
Dec 25, 2008 - 1:01 pm 8. Cienfuegos:Dr. Lumplevin is veh-wee veh-wee angwy.
Dec 25, 2008 - 1:30 pm 9. Войска ПВО:“Even Dr. Lumplevin, who is loved by our Creator whether he believes in Him or not.”
Your capitalization is wrong; our Creator does NOT believe in Dr. Lumplevin.
Dec 25, 2008 - 2:24 pm 10. Evil Pundit:This isn’t exactly a Christmas story, but it’s a fine story nevertheless … The President-Elect in the Iron Mask.
Dec 25, 2008 - 4:23 pm 11. jaybear:“a savior arises out of questionable birth details to come save us from our sins of greed, oppresion of the world,”
That would be Jesus….
if you were talking about obama the lesser, it would have to be phrased thusly:
a charlatan arises out of questionable birth to scam us into thinking he can save us from our sins of greed, oppresion of the world….
It’s so sad that you hold nothing in this world higher than yourself….how lonely you must be.
Dec 25, 2008 - 7:07 pm 12. Bad:I think you’re a little confused here. Us non-believers most certainly can appreciate the power of a nice hopeful story and myth. The Christian story wouldn’t have survived so long or been so compelling if it didn’t have appeal and insight to things human beings are concerned about. But it’s the myopic obsession with this story and this story alone and singular, somehow above and beyond all other wonderful and hopeful stories, and somehow that it’s the MOST universally insightful possible story that we find sort of baffling. The world has had a heck of a lot of other important insights and realizations that are worth knowing too.
And I find it deeply silly that someone can claim both to be a majority and a victim at the same time: all while accusing others of being pathetic exploiters of victimhood status. I’m sorry, but just because not quite everyone on the planet happens to think that your beliefs are the most important and most insightful doesn’t mean that you’re under any sort of threat from anything other than maybe not feeling as important as you’d hoped.
Dec 25, 2008 - 7:59 pm 13. myth buster:No, the capitalization is just fine. The Creator loves the Doc even if Doc doesn’t reciprocate that love.
Dec 25, 2008 - 8:09 pm 14. Jake Was Here:jaybear: The Doc clearly believes both Barack and Jesus to be frauds.
“I don’t believe in God.”
Dec 26, 2008 - 5:52 am 15. Gayle Miller:“Doesn’t matter. He believes in you.”
–Stephen King, THE STAND
The fact is that the so-called “story” is taken on faith as pure truth by billions of people worldwide for good reason – it is TRUE. Both the Doc and Bad are endangering a great deal by not having an open mind (a requirement for all good liberals) and a trusting heart. How sad to be them and how much joy and wonder they have and will continue to miss through their hardened and closed hearts.
God bless you all Christmas 2008 and all Christmases to come!
Dec 26, 2008 - 6:39 am 16. Jbl:“But it’s the myopic obsession with this story and this story alone and singular, somehow above and beyond all other wonderful and hopeful stories, and somehow that it’s the MOST universally insightful possible story that we find sort of baffling.”
But that’s because there is no other story like it. No other religion, no other myth claims that God actually became HUMAN and dwelt among us. And the people who walked the earth with him and saw his empty tomb endured torture and slaughter and never recanted. People still do. It’s not just a story.
Dec 26, 2008 - 8:58 am 17. Brian:Well written! Merry Christmas!
Dec 26, 2008 - 1:25 pm