I love Christmas! During my time working for St Mary’s church I was known on the staff team for my love of Christmas. At my request we began moving forward our Christmas services planning meetings to begin in June or July. One year I even went early into the room where our meeting would take place and sprayed a Christmas scent across the seats so it would smell like Christmas when we met! (The White Company’s Winter home spray, in case you wondered. There is no better Christmas smell. Trust me, I’ve been round all the stores and smelt a lot of candles to be sure.)
Not only are there a lot of distinctively Christmastime smells, there are a lot of sounds we associate with this celebration: the ringing of bells, the singing of carols, the crackle of a log fire, the clink of glasses, the snap of crackers, well worn tunes on the radio…
But that original Christmas had sounds too (and smells of its own, but we’ll leave that subject alone for now).
Prior to the birth of Jesus, the people of God had been waiting, longing and anticipating. Knowing God would show up, but not knowing when, the silent expectation grew. Oppressed by a Roman regime a longing for a redeemer stirred. But all was silent. It seemed like the sky was made of iron as hundreds of years rolled by without the word of a prophet.
The early rumblings of a new season collide with the quiet in two interesting interactions between angels and two men, Joseph and Zechariah. Joseph planned to divorce Mary quietly, when he discovered her pregnancy. Zechariah was made mute by the angel Gabriel, until the time his promised miracle son John arrived.
I love the carol Silent Night, but the reality is that Jesus arrived at the end of 500 years of what seemed like God’s silence, a crystal clear Word that shattered the quiet of the night. (And thankfully he has embraced the whole human experience except for sin, so little Lord Jesus, definitely crying he did make!)
Throughout the nativity narrative we discover the sounds of Christmas: a heavenly display of joyful announcement fills the skies, shepherds glorify God because of what they saw and heard, wise men rejoice, and Anna speaks about Jesus to all who would listen. Even before Jesus is born, Elizabeth shouts for joy when she meets Mary who is carrying the Christ in her womb, and Mary sings her stunning song of praise to God.
Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, in the time of the prophetic voices of the old covenant, Isaiah looks forward to the day when the sounds of Christmas will be heard, and he prophesies of Jesus: ‘He shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’
He shall be called.
There is a sound to Christmas, and it still rings out. Those of us who know this Saviour have good news to proclaim!
May you hear the sounds of Christmas in your life this Advent and Christmas. And may we carry news of great joy, to everyone everywhere!
Adventures with God 