Blasphemy

I am a holiday traditionalist, and a creature of habit, when it comes to celebrations. I drink the same nog, deck the same halls, sing the same songs, and especially watch the same movies. Last night, I began to pull the holiday stuff out of the rubbermaid container, and almost had a moment of orgasmic ecstasy. On the top of all the ornaments, garland, and fru-fru was my video collection. My favorites leapt out and danced before my eyes. I have all the Rankin Bass movies: Frosty, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Little Drummer Boy, The Year without a Santa Claus, and the BEST movie ever for Christmas...Rudolph. I know it by heart, sing all the songs, and do a mean Yukon Cornelius impersonation (which my wife thinks is sexy!). My second favorite movie of the bunch is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I saw these movies and was sooo excited. My son came out and jumped up and down. I began to melt, thinking that he shared my joy for the classics. He reached in and grabbed a movie that we had bought last year. He began to jump up and down, and yell..."Daddy, Daddy." It was a Wiggles movie titled, "Santa's Rocking Christmas," and he has watched this horrible movie for 2 days. A Blasphemy....a break from tradition.

As we celebrate Advent, it is so important to realize that we are immersed in a tradition that is a departure from the norm. Jews saw God, as the one who was far away, so holy that approaching him, especially seeing him, could possibly result in death. Notice that any encounter with the semblance of the divine in the scriptures, especially angels, were always prefaced with the warning.."Fear Not." The absurd aspect of advent is that God became like us, He wrapped Himself in the sinful flesh of humanity, and walked among us. The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us...that is unfathomable. Instead of wrapping himself in the flesh of an earthly King to be served, and admired, He became a baby, a crying, screaming, pooping, baby that would grow up and die for us. The unapproachable One can only be approached through Christ; God in the flesh.

At the end of the my son's favorite video, all the Wiggles , goofy characters, and even Greg Brady (I told you it was AWFUL) join hands and sing "Silent Night" together. Wiggly,Goofy characters and has-beens celebrating the Incarnation...sounds like a traditional Christmas to me.