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"That's right," I heard someone whisper behind me. "Christmas is for kids."
The words of the song and the affirming whisper touched me with sadness. Have grown-ups become indifferent to the mystery of the Incarnation, I wondered. For adults, has Christmas become just an intellectual concept, void of wonder? Has the miracle of the Son of God taking on human flesh become commonplace to Christians?
As I reflected on the apparent lack of enthusiasm about Christmas on the part of adults, I saw in my mind's eye my father with his large, black-covered German Bible in his hands, reverently reading the account of Christ's birth to the family. He never grew too old to thrill to the wonder of God's Son coming to earth in human form.
I recalled a church service where the leader invited the worshippers to share their feelings about Christmas. Many of the testimonies that followed were from older men, still overflowing with the excitement and expectation of Christmas and the joy of sharing it with others.
What a wonderful opportunity for spiritual enlightenment the occasion provides! To me, its message grows more meaningful each year as I grasp a little more of the significance of the virgin birth. In prayerfully perusing the biblical account of Christ's birth, my heart responds in awe and exaltation. Researching the historical and cultural background sheds more light and confirmation on the sacred record.
What a giant step for the Heavenly King to descend from the splendours of glory into a world estranged from Him, subjecting Himself to the laws of nature and the crooked rule of sinful man. As a helpless infant, Jesus depended on mortals He created for His very sustenance.
To lose the sense of mystery and wonder is to lose the meaning of worship and adoration. "Wonder is the basis of worship," the historian Thomas Carlyle wrote over 100 years ago. More recently, J.A. Davidson commented in Western Producer that the church should be the "dwelling place of wonder, for where there is little wonder, there is little worship."
No, Christmas is not just for kids, or even primarily for kids. Christmas is for everyone.
Martha Toews Anderson lives in Edmonton, Alta.
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