Christmas presence not presents

If you ask most people what they like best about Christmas, I suspect that one of the top answers would be "the presents": the surprise of the unexpected gift, the delight of just the right toy, long awaited special somethings. All of these contribute to the joy associated with the bundles left wrapped beneath the tree.

If you ask others what they dread most about Christmas, I suspect that one of the top answers would again be "the presents": the unbearable weight of expectation, the fear of disappointment, the burden of debt and the cost of wish-fulfillment.

For me there is little doubt that the best thing about Christmas is not so much presents, but presence – the presence of God entering human history in the form of a child. Born into poverty in a land dominated by an occupying force, the birth of the Christ child resonates throughout history to this present day, bringing joy and hope to all who name Christ as Saviour and Lord.

But this presence came at a high cost. Jesus Christ, God in human form, enters human history not to demand obeisance and regal treatment, but to be rejected by his peers, betrayed by his friend, deserted by his followers, humiliated and tortured by the military and finally abandoned to die. This 'presence' was priceless.

It is ever so easy, but grossly mistaken, in our consumerist society to believe that our valuing of the worth of another person can be measured through the cost of how much we spend at Christmas. It is not the cost of presents that demonstrates the depth of our love, but rather the quality of our presence amongst those we love that shows whether we truly care. It is easy to swipe the card and punch in the digits for the purchase; not so easy to spend time bringing joy to others by doing what would not normally do in order to bring pleasure to another. It is Christmas Presence, not Christmas Presents that shows our love.

This presence is not only for those known to us, those loved ones and families, but is best demonstrated also amongst those who due to age, illness, refugee status or homelessness are not able to look forward to any meaningful Christmas. Spending time with and alongside our brothers and sisters who find themselves in these positions is love indeed.

But not all have the choice to demonstrate their presence at Christmas, no matter how they may wish to.

There will be those families whose hearts turn to men and women serving abroad, those spending the day working in emergency services, and those who have been incarcerated. These families know more than most the cost of presence and how even the most wonderful present cannot replace or make up for the absence of a loved one.

At Christmas we celebrate Christ amongst us by showing to one another that love shown by God himself towards the entire human race, through the Incarnation. God took human flesh and came to live amongst us. At the time we did not recognize him and nailed him to a tree. Acknowledging now his humanity and divinity, we recognise in each other the divine spark and extend His embrace to one another.

This Christmas may you recognise in the friend and the stranger, the presence of God and may the joy of the risen Christ, born anew, keep your hearts in joy and peace. Happy Christmas.