mary, did you know?

I'll be honest, Christmas comes and Christmas goes and rarely do i sit back and consider Jesus' birth and its importance in my life. i guess it all seems a bit redundant for me. not that redundancy is a bad thing, but when it is your 20th Christmas as a Christian, the whole message of Jesus' birth becomes a little desensitized. wise men, shepherds, Virgin birth, frankincense, manger, no room in the inn...I've heard it.

but i realized something this evening at the Christmas Eve service at Hillcrest. the thought of Jesus' importance in my life? how selfish and egotistical of me. every year i seem to shrug my shoulders and nod my head during the Christmas season; i listen to the same story and then move on. but i realized for the first time tonight the implications Christ's birth had for the world.

there is no man who has ever shaken the world like Jesus did. in the course of 2000 years, more books have been written about Jesus than any other subject in history. this dude comes into the world and is such a big deal that they change time to be based around him. what would this earth look like without Jesus? drastically different that's for sure. Christ comes into the world and suddenly everything changes.

think about September 11. think about where you were and what you were doing. did you see the second plane fly in like i did? the greatest country on earth got sucker punched and we all felt its repercussions. just think about how that shattered our world and how it has changed each of our lives since. i watched "Sleepless in Seattle" the other night; it shows a glorious shot of the Twin Towers in NYC, and i couldn't help but let out a sigh. just the mention of the event changes the mood in a room. huge event.

now think about Christmas morning. how big of a deal is that? granted Sept. 11 brings about primarily negative connotations and Christmas tends to stimulate more positive feelings, but think about their magnitude of effect on the world comparatively. which one is the bigger deal? not to make light of the attacks, because they were enormously devastating to this country, but lets be honest here. Clearly, Jesus' birth has had an immeasurably greater effect on this planet, yet is that the attitude we give it? is that how we treat such a 'big deal' in our world? do we truly see Christmas as the number one most earth-shattering event in human history? i don't think so. yeah, we all get excited, and, yeah, it changes everyone's spirit for a month, but when it boils down to it do we really treat this holiday with the reverence and importance it deserves? September 11 at least is acknowledged with a moment of silence at basically every institution nationwide. i feel like Jesus fails to even get that. it is gifts and travel and sleigh bells and candy, but whats the point?

the point is that nothing has ever shaped anything as much as Christmas has shaped this planet. and you can take that to the bank.

may you have a merry, as well as meaningful, Christmas this year. and for something completely different, i just might do the same.

-ap.