A 'card-carrying' atheist is quoted as having told a friend of mine, "A
myth? What part of 'three kings following a star through a desert to
bring presents to an immaculately conceived baby-god they dreamt about'
seems like a myth to you?"
Whenever I hear things like this, I'm reminded of a literary passage that I really think hits the nail on the head when it comes to atheists as a whole. In chapter 30 of his book, Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell writes referring to his character ironically named, "Bozo,"
"Clearly the phrase was not the doctor's but Bozo's own. He had a gift
for phrases. He had managed to keep his brain intact and alert, and so
nothing could make him succumb to poverty. He might be ragged and cold, or
even starving, but so long as he could read, think, and watch for meteors,
he was, as he said, free in his own mind.
He was an embittered atheist (the sort of atheist who does not so much
disbelieve in God as personally dislike Him), and took a sort of pleasure
in thinking that human affairs would never improve."
There is a certain innate arrogance in the heart of an atheist not found in the agnostic; an arrogance born out of a sense of utter displacement that inevitably leads one to an existentialist view of the world. There is a hopelessness; an inner misery if you will, that desperately seeks company. And so, he aggressively seeks to disprove something that can neither be rationally proven nor disproven. The true angst of an atheist is more so the concept of God than his existence. And so the Bible is a perfect target for the avowed divine cynic.
A God who would make man in "his own image?" How arrogant. To bestow something of his divine nature into mere mortals, what could he have been thinking? I mean, a God who would prejudicially and possessively call a certain people "his own," and then proceed to force his will upon them by leading them out of slavery and incessant oppression despite overwhelming opposition from one the most powerful military powers of their time, and then repeatedly deliver them from world power after world power, over and over again throughout human history? What a showoff! I mean really, water from a rock? Bread from heaven? 90+ year old women giving birth? Earthquakes and firestorms at just the right time? "What's the point?" the atheist asks. Ultimately, atheists fail to see the forest for the trees. They are blinded by their own utter hopelessness.
Behind every miracle of scripture is an illustration of the hope that there is in God, of an everlasting love that a father has for his children. Each miracle speaks to the faith that God ultimately has in you and me. In our decision-making ability, a power placed inside each and every one of us by He himself. It is a power that gives us the ability to choose him, to choose life of our own volition. Every miracle speaks to his commitment to the atheist, agnostic and believer alike. His miracles toward mankind, despite our foolishness and unbelief, prove that he loved us "while we were yet sinners." (Romans 5:8)
That being said, the miracle of Christmas is more than just a Bible story about a trio of cosmic weirdoes following an ancient prophecy, as noted by our dear atheist friend. It is more than just a story about a pregnant unwed teenager giving birth to a cosmic king. It is a love story.
Christmas is a story that speaks to a passion that begs each of us to look beyond reason, beyond dogmas and stereotypes, and beyond our own rationale limitations. The birth of Christ is the perfect metaphor to demonstrate what God wants to birth in every one of us: hope.
Through all of the events surrounding the Biblical Christmas story, we see that God concocts the most irrational way of expressing his love for us. And that's the whole point. By use of a poverty stricken teenage couple and a manger, we infer that He offers us a humble love meant to affront our materialism, arrogance and imperfections. It speaks to a love that brings forth life and the hope that life represents, both in us and through us. Through this seemingly ridiculous story, God births in us a sense of hope, despite our humble surroundings and/or adverse circumstances. It presents a hope that survives despite powerful, seemingly insurmountable opposition. And it demonstrates a sacrificial love packaged in the concept of "family," whose goal it is to reconcile mankind one with another, and ultimately with God himself in a bond of peace.
"10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Luke 2:10-14
The only myth in Christmas is to believe that just because you've given up on believing in God, that he's somehow given up on believing in you. And that is the greatest miracle of all.
"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
Matthew 1:23
" [Jesus]…and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Matthew 28:20
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Mario
