This week the blog is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publishers of Repeat The Sounding Joy, A daily Advent devotional on Luke 1 – 2, by Christopher Ash.
Confession time: I don’t particularly like Christmas. I think it goes back to my days as a local church minister with a young family. Somehow all the pre-Christmas stresses of presents (I get so anxious trying to find the right presents), food preparation, family gatherings, with the extra pressure of all those Carol Services, school nativities and then Christmas Day services, just when others begin to relax – it all got to me and I used to dread it.
As a young Christian – thrilled with what Jesus did for me on the Cross – I used to struggle also with all that talk about the Incarnation at Christmas (some of it from ministers who had vague ideas about “incarnational ministry” without really believing in the Atonement). Let’s get on to Good Friday and Easter Day, I used to feel; let’s not dwell on Jesus the sweet little baby and all that sentimental stuff. It just gives grown-up unbelievers the impression that Christianity is for little children.
Maybe you
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