God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas Is the Foundation for Everything by Douglas Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Christmas is over for most. Here's a post mortem.
Christmas goes beyond sentiment. Jesus entered a real world of sheep manure in a cave. He humbled himself to exalt men. Tinsel and the bells and cards are all fine and dandy as long as we remember and root them in the joy that flows from Christ's humiliation for us.
Christmas is political. A king came to us whom we must accept or reject. Herod rejected Him. So do many earthly kings today and they will regret it one day. The public square is involved in Christmas. Herod and all Jerusalem had reason to be troubled as long as they grasped power for themselves. But rulers and wisemen who bow to Him and give instead of take are joyful and blessed.
Christmas is about stuff. God the Son became a physical creature to redeem the physical world. He is on a salvage operation to restore His kingdom. If you have to have your stuff then it has to go (a la Rich young ruler). Otherwise Christ means for you to have it, enjoy it and use it to serve others. Stuff and buying stuff is not the enemy. Idolizing it is. But we need stuff (a physical world) to express love.
These are the main themes and they are right on target. The writing and flow seem uneven throughout the book as I suspect this is a patchwork of blog posts past.
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