By Joseph Cyr and Gloria Austin
Staff Writers
HOULTON — The Christmas season is a celebration like no other. It captivates the hearts and spirits of young and old alike.
But sometimes it is easy to forget the true meaning of the holiday. Lost in all of the hoopla of Santa Claus, reindeer and presents galore is the message that Jesus Christ was born.
According to Bible scripture, shepherds were in the field watching their flock by night. Men talking lowly, with sharp “baas” breaking through the air. The three wise men in no rush as they sojourned along.
Then there is Joseph and Mary. Tired, worn and looking desperately for a place to stay, as she nears the time of birth. A manger. Silent except for a few animals stirring. A husband tending to his wife, holding her hand and telling her everything will be OK.
Then the moans of a woman in labor giving way to a piercing cry that slices the night. A mother holding her child close. To keep him warm, they wrap a cloth tightly around and place him in a bed of straw, providing insulation from the cold. As his mother and father look on, smiles come to their faces and peace fills their hearts.
Many long to feel the contentment of the manager scene in the craziness of commercialized Christmas. What happened to the calm? It was replaced with care. What happened to the stillness? It was replaced with bustle and commotion. Slow down. Remove the commotion and anxiety by recalling the tranquility of a “Silent Night.”
“The meaning of Christmas to me is that we can personally have peace with God because Christ came into the world to give us peace,” said Pastor James Gardner of the Shiretown Baptist Church in Houlton. “So today, in the midst of all the trouble of mass shootings, terrorism, drugs, we can go to bed at night knowing we can have peace.”
Charles Schulz did an admirable job of making the point that Christmas should not be just about presents in the animated television special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which first aired in 1965. That show touched on the over-commercialization and secularism of Christmas and 48 years later, it still rings true.
Getting the religious message across to people is a challenge pastors and preachers of many denominations face every year. And it hasn’t gotten any easier.
“Our hope and goal each year is that we can get the message (of Christ’s birth) across to people,” said Wayne Robertson, pastor at the Houlton Wesleyan Church. “One of the biggest challenges is just the busyness of the season.”
Robertson said in recent years, and this year in particular, he is finding more and more people wanting to “back off” on the hectic pace and commercialism rampant this time of year.
“A lot of people seem to be looking for a more simpler expression of Christmas,” he said. “For many, I am finding they are looking for more of a celebration of their faith, their family and just taking time for each other. More and more people are cutting back on all the other (commercial) stuff. I find that encouraging.”
Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, as a gift of salvation.
The Christian message of Christmas never changes. It never gets old. But it is taken for granted.
“It is hard today to convey the true meaning of the Christmas story, there are so many [commercial] things to distract us,” Gardner added. “I think it is more difficult for the clear message of Christmas to be heard.
“I like all the traditions we have,” he said. “The Christmas tree, the stories and such, they are part of our upbringing. But, every year, it seems there are more things to come along to cloud it.”
In the King James version of the Bible in Luke 2: 10-11 “the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
“It is a highly emotional time of year,” said Gardner. “As time goes on, I think the true meaning of Christmas does become more obscure. Everything concerning the biblical message gets harder as the days go on. There is not a universal acceptance of the bible anymore. There used to be a reverence for it. My goal as pastor is to focus people back onto the bible … in the midst of all [turmoil] around you, you can have peace through Jesus Christ.”
Juggling the busy schedule of larger and more grandiose church services at this time of year can sometimes prove challenging.
“It can easily be overwhelming with good and bad both,” Robertson said. “We want to care for those that need caring; we want to celebrate the birth of Christ; and do the most we can for the most number of people.”
As a pastor, Robertson said he has the “best job in the world” at this time of year.
“I get to tell the most amazing story of a God who poured himself into our world to give us hope,” he said.
