"The Christmas Story"

In truth, in many years past, I was a been kind of an Ebenezer Scrooge. Well – maybe not as bad as Scrooge, but the commercialism and phoniness of a lot of the Christmas season has never sat very well with me. When does the Christmas season begin anyway? This year I think I saw my first Christmas decorations at Lowes at the end of September. And these days, we are not only bombarded with Christmas advertisements on television and in the media, but we have “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” which are no longer single days but extend for many days. With all this commercialism and materialism, I think I really lost some of the Christmas message over many years.

It doesn’t help that I’ve been a Unitarian Universalist for over 40 years and a questioning UU minister for over 30 years. I know that the Biblical Christmas stories really are not true in any case.

I understand that what we do know of Jesus is very limited and sketchy at best. From common Biblical sources and from non-Biblical sources which include the writings of the Jewish historian, Josephus, and also other Roman historical records, we know that Jesus was probably born around the year 3 of the Common Era. He was probably born in Nazareth not Bethlehem. Bethlehem appears in the Christmas stories of the New Testament to fulfill a prophecy in the Book of Micah, Chapter 5 which says:

“But you, Bethlehem (Ephrathah) though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

According to Jewish scholars, the ruler referred to in Chapter 5 of Micah is a future ruler of Israel – a Messiah who will protect the land of Judah from the Assyrians. (When the Book was written around 750 BCE, the Assyrians had conquered Israel.) The word “messiah” means the anointed one and refers to a military and political leader of Israel.

And, in the Book of Isaiah Chapter 7 it states:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Immanuel" (which means “God with us”). (However, the word virgin was mistranslated when the Hebrew scripture (the Old Testament) was translated into the Greek. In Hebrew the word is not virgin but “almah” which means “young women.” And, the child referred to in Isaiah, according to Jewish scholars, was the Jewish King Ahaz who lived around 720 BCE. The child was to be his son, the future King Hezekiah.

The Christmas story does not appear in the New Testament in the Gospels of Mark and John – only in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The two stories are very different. In the west, we conflate the two gospels and put them together. These stories, written by the gospel writers, were never intended to portray history but to make a religious statement about the authority of Jesus. (And by the way, we do not know who wrote the gospels. The authors were anonymous. The names of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John were added around in the second century CE.)

No matter what theology we accept or reject with regard to Jesus, there is little doubt that Jesus, the man, existed. Some skeptics have suggested the whole existence of Jesus is a myth. I had read their rationale, and I find it very weak. Recently, I read Professor Bart Ehrman’s book: “Did Jesus Exist?” Ehrman is a Professor at the University of North Carolina. His many books definitely unpack Christianity and pretty much show it as a human creation but, in no uncertain terms, he explains that yes – there is virtually no doubt that Jesus, the man, existed.

In truth we really do not know very much Jesus. Many of the gospel stories about Jesus conflict with each other. For example - the Christmas story. If we consider the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is born in a house and visited by wise men who followed a bright star to find him. These are the so-called Magi who are Zoroastrian priests from Persia. I find this rather curious, since I believe the Zoroastrian religion with its belief in heaven and hell, angels and devils, had a huge impact on Christianity.

Following his birth in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is taken by Joseph and Mary to Egypt, because Joseph feared he would be killed by King Herod. According to Matthew, the family lived in Egypt for many years until Herod died, and then they returned to Nazareth in Galilee.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is born in a manger out in a field (not in a house as the Gospel of Matthew says). This is because Joseph could find no lodging in an inn, in Bethlehem. Jesus is visited by shepherds at his birth. Following his birth, Jesus is taken by Joseph and Mary to the temple in Jerusalem and then back to Galilee to the town of Nazareth where he grows up. There is no mention of any trip to Egypt.

The Gospels of Mark and John have no birth narrative and provide no information on his birth or childhood. When I first learned of the differences in the birth narratives in the gospels, and the fact that both could not be true, and both were most probably fiction, it didn’t really help my Christmas spirit. It didn’t help me to finally understand that Jesus was a human being like the rest of us and not God incarnate as Christians believe. What then was the Christmas spirit all about, I pondered for a very long time.

I was further confused by stories like the one I read to you today from Flanders fields in World War I. I know this story is true – so for me, it begs the question, why would enemies postpone their hateful battles for one day at Christmas in the midst of unspeakable horrors? Why would they not just stop all the killing period?

And so – for many years I have often thought a little like Scrooge. “What do you have to celebrate,” Scrooge said, “You are poor enough?” Why indeed, given the fact the story of Christmas is just that, a story? Why celebrate Christmas – when the world is filled with violence and killing and poverty and disease and destruction. Why celebrate Christmas in the midst of the many unspeakable horrors we hear about today likes Ukraine, Gaza, and the mass shootings in our own country – more shooting just this past week?

I guess over time – I have realized that the very point of celebrating Christmas is not in spite of tragedy, it is because of tragedy and all the sadness and pain that we humans are exposed to every day.

This time of year, we often see news outlets report on Christmas displays and small town Christmas parades around the country. I remember some years ago when I lived in New York, I was watching the news and was surprised to see the Long Island counties of Queens and Nassau featured very prominently on national news – more than any other areas around the country. Certain towns on Long Island are renowned for their neighborhood Christmas displays.

One of the top displayers was a very average man from Queens who had two identical townhouses side by side. Each house had nine windows. Lights were wired around the perimeter of the houses and each window. The lights all flashed in rhythm and with different colors to Christmas songs (which were playing). There was a neon sign telling you to tune into 88.7 FM to hear the music.

There was another house nearby with so many lights and illuminated Christmas statues there was barely a square inch open in the yard of the house. The house was owned by an FDNY fireman and each night, at a certain time, he dressed like Santa. One of his friends dressed like Rudolph, and they walked around the roof of the house waving. (They later were brought down from the roof by an FDNY fire truck).

During the news program, one woman who was interviewed indicated that she traveled two and a half hours with her children each year to see these displays. Long lines of cars passed these houses. In many, the looks on children’s faces were fantastic and made any observer smile with joy.

In the New York paper, News Day, people mentioned that these types of Christmas displays were very important to them, particularly that year, when the destruction and suffering caused by Hurricane Sandy was so fresh on their mind. In short, the celebration of Christmas reminds people that even in the midst of pain and suffering, hope endures. Even in the midst of violence and tragedy the idea of peace and joy among human beings burns bright.

When we see the joy and wonder on a child’s face, when they see Christmas trees and Santa and Christmas lights, we are reminded of the importance of Christmas to children – but we sometimes forget that this type of joy and innocent wonder is important for adults to experience as well. The problem is that with our rational, scientific minds and our displeasure with the materialism that Christmas brings, a lot of people forget that Christmas can be a magical time for them too and a reminder of the possibility of hope and peace and joy and goodwill among human beings.

Sure, we can dismiss Christmas as fantasy. We can explain that the stories of Jesus’ birth in the gospels are not true. We can dissect each and every part of the Christmas celebration from Santa Claus to the Christmas tree which was introduced in Christmas celebrations by the Germans in the 15th and 16th centuries. We can recall the tradition of Christmas tree in Britain and America was begun by Queen Victoria’s German consort Prince Albert some 175 years ago.

We can note that the date of December 25th as the date of Jesus’ birth was first recorded in the year 336 CE in Rome, no doubt, to ease the transition of pagan Romans to Christianity. This date coincided with pagan winter solstice celebrations and the birthday of Sol Invictus – the official Roman son god of that century.

We can point to all the pain and suffering in the world and simply dismiss Christmas as a frivolous waste of time and money where our precious resources could be better spent.

In short, we could become a lot more like Ebenezer Scrooge. I must confess, for me, every Christmas, I must watch the 1951 version of “The Christmas Carol.” Remember the scenes when the two men are asking Scrooge for a donation for the poor.

First Collector. At this festive time of year, Mr. Scrooge, it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute. 

Ebenezer: Are there no prisons? 

First Collector: Plenty of prisons. 

Ebenezer: And the union workhouses - are they still in operation? 

First Collector: They are. I wish I could say they were not. 

Ebenezer: Oh, from what you said at first I was afraid that something had happened to stop them in their useful course. I'm very glad to hear it. 

First Collector: I don't think you quite understand us, sir. A few of us are endeavoring to buy the poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. 

Ebenezer: Why? 

First Collector: Because it is at Christmastime that want is most keenly felt, and abundance rejoices. Now what can I put you down for? 

Ebenezer: Huh! Nothing!

 Second Collector: You wish to be anonymous?

 Ebenezer: I wish to be left alone. Since you ask me what I wish sir, that is my answer. I help to support the establishments I have named; those who are badly off must go there.

 First Collector: Many can't go there.

 Second Collector: And some would rather die. 

Scrooge: Good, Let them die. It will decrease the surplus population.

And to Bob Cratchit once Scrooge is at the office:

Ebenezer: You'll want the whole day off tomorrow, I suppose. 

Bob Cratchit: If quite convenient, sir. 

Ebenezer: It's not convenient. And it's not fair! If I stopped you half a crown for it, you'd think yourself ill used, wouldn't you? But you don't think me ill used if I pay a day's wages for no work, hmm? 

Bob Cratchit: 'Tis only once a year, sir. 

Ebenezer: That's a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every 25th of December. 

Bob Cratchit: Yes, sir. I'm sure I'm very sorry, sir, to cause you such an inconvenience. It's the family more than me, sir. They put their hearts into Christmas as it were, sir. 

Ebenezer: Yes, and put their hands into my pockets as it were, sir. I suppose you'd better have the whole day. But be back all the earlier the next morning. 

Bob Cratchit: I will indeed, sir. Thank you, sir! It's more than generous of you, sir. 

Ebenezer: Yes, I know it is, you don't have to tell me. 

The real lesson in The Christmas Carol story is that we should live the spirit of Christmas every day of the year. Well – we should, but having this holiday is an annual reminder not only of the possibilities of peace and joy and harmony among human beings, it is also a time to remember that we “are our brother’s and sister’s keepers;” that we have a moral obligation to be kind and generous throughout our life. It is a lesson we hear about every year at Christmas. It is an important lesson that we, as a society, pass on to new generations of children through the joyous celebrations of this special holiday.

In his famous 1841 sermon “The Transient and the Permanent in Christianity, the Unitarian minister Theodore Parker said that even if Jesus had never existed, the most important tenants of Christianity would be true because Jesus stood for peace and he stood for love and he called for “loving our neighbors as ourselves.” (This caused conservative ministers who heard the sermon to gasp!)

I think the holiday of Christmas also applies here. What Christmas stands for and what it conveys to children and reminds each of us is so important – even though it is easy to dismiss the holiday for so many reasons.

During this season, we often hear the message to “put Jesus back in Christmas.” This, of course, is a reference to the rampant materialism of the season. In this season, it is all too easy to forget that Christmas is, indeed, a celebration of the birth of Jesus and all he stood for.

In any case, Christmas in its purest form is a special day, because it does represent a special, perhaps miraculous day in the history of humanity. However you feel regarding the religion about Jesus – the ideas and theories and theologies concocted over the centuries to try to explain Jesus the human - Jesus was born to humanity and grew to be an itinerant, religious teacher who spoke of the universal love of God and the importance of love and peace and service to others.

To the horror of those who opposed him, Jesus believed in the inherent dignity of every human being, including men and women, slave and free, gentile and Jew, gifted and dispossessed.

Peel away the layers of theology around Jesus and you will find a humble human being who walked in the service of God and called for all persons to live in peace and to demonstrate unconditional and continual love – and he lifted these actions above all others. Religious law and ritual, he simply cast aside. He stood by his words, and he was murdered as a result.

It is easy to criticize Christianity for all its excesses and all the human horrors perpetrated in its name over the centuries, but it is not possible to criticize Jesus the man – for his actions, and the way he lived his life created a message and a standard of living that has promoted peace, justice, liberty, and love like no other.

I would maintain that it was the messages of universal love and peace articulated by Jesus that ultimately transformed civilization by abolishing slavery, creating democracy, and ultimately creating change that fostered the values that promote the inherent dignity of every human being – though this may have taken 2000 years and some of the work has yet to be finished. It was Jesus who inspired the lives of caring men and women throughout the centuries, people like St Francis, John of the Cross, Hildegard of Bingham, and Mother Teresa. It was Jesus and NOT the religion around him who inspired great transformers of society like Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Christmas is a great day because it is a symbol of what is possible in human relations and it is a day to celebrate the message of Jesus – the message of peace and love.

Each of us has the ability to become a better person. One way to do this is to constantly look into our heart and soul and honestly take stock of who we truly are and how we are perceived by others because of the actions we take (or don’t take in our lives).

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of one of the most unique human beings in history – a person who established a way of living that has transformed the world and the way that we look at ourselves and others. Christmas is a special time because it calls us to look at ourselves - the type of person we are and the type of person we are becoming. Christmas can be a time for a new beginning – like the venerable Ebenezer Scrooge, it can be a time for transformation and the beginning day of being a more caring, more loving person.

Every time a hand reaches out 

To help another....that is Christmas 

Every time someone puts anger aside 

And strives for understanding 

That is Christmas 

Every time people forget their differences 

And realize their love for each other 

That is Christmas 

May this Christmas bring us 

Closer to the spirit of human understanding 

Closer to the blessing of peace!

May Christmas be a time for peace on earth and a reminder that we are called by all that is sacred in creation to love each other every day of our lives.

Reverend Christopher McMahon

December 21,2025

UU Chatham

Photo by Keith Brian de Leon on Unsplash