Or you might be on the receiving end of a Christmas message. As an act of worship, the sermon invites us to reflect critically on what we hear. How will you look to distinguish the ‘gold’ from the ‘dross’. For there is a lot of the later about at this time of year. As is demonstrated by the numerous newspaper articles written by well-meaning Ministers who display a woefully inadequate theology.

For instance, The Press, in Christchurch has been running a daily ‘Perspectives’ column this week on the meaning of Christmas. One writer declared that Christmas was not for children, it is “really an adult story… It is the story of growing up to full maturity, refusing to take refuge in yesterday and in childish ways.” Dross!

Surprisingly, on another day a writer declared “the depth of the Christmas experience is to look into the face of a child and see God.” The “Bethlehem experience” he writes, is the “experience of returning to childhood.” Equal but opposition dross!

Please do not fall into their error by neglecting the uniqueness of the Bible’s narrative. For it concerns neither ‘a’ baby in the manger, nor even an example, par excellence, of ‘all’ babies. It is ‘the’ baby – Emmanuel, God with us. The error of the liberal writes I have just mentioned is that they make the identity of the Bethlehem baby incidental to their message. They are so entranced by their ‘universal’ theme of ‘adult maturity’ or ‘playful childhood’ that they ignore completely what I term the ‘particularity’ of the Christian narrative.

Both Matthew and Luke’s Gospel are insistent on this point (each in their own way, of course). Matthew refers to Isaiah 7 and the name ‘Emmanuel’ (Mat 1:23), while Luke calls Jesus, ‘Son of God’ (Luke 1:35). Though both wish to emphasis that Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Messiah’ (Matthew 1:16 & 18; Luke 2:11 & 26).

So the Christmas Hersy filter is this. If the message that you have written (or heard) could be understood on its own terms without any need (apart from obligatory seasonal references) to refer to ‘Emmanuel, God with us’ (Matthew 1:23), then it is plain wrong. Sure, you might have a manger, and even a baby in the manger. The baby might even grow to become Jesus of Nazareth. But if it is not “the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:11) then go away and put the real baby back in the manger! For without it, your message will not be founded on the Christian Gospel.

It matters not how grand your theme concerning God’s inclusive love, or the depth of your insight into the existential human condition. If it is not founded on the revelation of Scripture, then it is just another Christmas Heresy.

Malcolm Falloon
Warden