The End was in the Beginning - Part I

“The End was in the Beginning” – Thoughts for Advent 2010 Part I

“The end was in the beginning.”  Those words end Ralph Ellison’s classic novel, Invisible Man.  Strangely enough, they describe the birth of Christ in Bethlehem.  His atoning sacrifice, redemptive life, crucifixion, death and resurrection are present on the first Christmas morning.  Our understanding of his hopeful birth must include an appreciation of his forthcoming redemptive death.  Christmas is more than the exchange of commercial gifts and a seasonal sentimentality in which we concern ourselves with the plight of others. 

Its meaning far exceeds the bastardization of Christmas that emerges through an emphasis on food, fun, vacation, games, travel and presents.  An authentic celebration of God’s incalculable gift of His Son, our Lord and Savior, is perennially omitted.  In fact, it is secularized through the market place and a burgeoning pluralism, which undervalues the centrality of Christ.  Yet, the fateful events of betrayal, denial, abandonment, false arrest and unjust sentencing that eventuate in Calvary and the first Easter are present at the original Christmas morning. 

In Matthew 2:1-12, the evangelist records the birth of Jesus Christ by detailing the visit of the Magi.  Traditionally, three wise men of the East initially inquire of King Herod about the whereabouts of the newborn “King of the Jews.”  They desire to pay customary homage by going and worshipping him.  Providentially, the Magi escape the trap of Herod’s duplicity and they find the Christ child.  They present him with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.  Then, as now, monarchy and the heads of state exchange significant gifts. 

These presents foreshadow Christ’s emergence as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  They symbolize his coronation as the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”  The gold signifies the worth of Christ’s birth.  The incense indicates his priestly functions.  The priests burned incense as they received the offerings of the people.  A sweet smelling gum extract indigenous to the Middle East, myrrh was used to make perfume and other body oils.  Those were the fragrances carried by Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James and the other women who went to anoint the body of Jesus on the first Easter morning (Luke 24:1-12).  Essentially, the Magi’s Christmas gifts foretell the crucifixion and resurrection.

The Lucan account of the first Christmas reminds us of the hope that Almighty God offers to humankind in the gift of the Christ child.  Specifically, the poor and the oppressed can relate to the birth of Jesus.  “She gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”  (Luke 2:7)  Moreover, the angels appear to the nameless and countless shepherds, “living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.”  The angels proclaim great news!  A Savior is born.  He is Christ the Lord.  This proclamation brings great joy to all people. 

Then, the shepherds decide to “go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  There, they find the true meaning of Christmas, the sacrificial gift of the Christ child.  In response, they tell others what the angels told them.  The shepherds leave “glorifying and praising God.”