Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 8 December 2011

REVEALER OF MYSTERIES

Giving a gift is a form of communication between the giver and the recipient that conveys a message of appreciation and an affirmation of relationship. Sometimes the nature of the gift indicates an issue in the relationship that needs to be addressed; other times, it says, everything is going well, but this will make it even better. The gift should be relevant to the relationship and the times that we are living in. It should, at the least, maintain the relationship, and at the best, improve it. The gift should be appropriate to the type of relationship that exists between the giver and the recipient. The best kind of gifts are those that elicit a “This is where its at!“ response. The truth is that this happens very rarely, unless one spends considerable time, effort and expense in choosing the gift.

FAMILY MATTERS

Only the super wealthy can afford to give gifts of real estate. Gifts that convey much needed knowledge that shed light on and offer a solution to an intractable problem are highly esteemed. Gifts that warn of impending danger and so help us to avoid it are life saving. Gifts that promote family values will enhance family relationships. Gifts that remind us of the foundation of our beliefs affirm what is best about it. Gifts that remind us that many of those who have gone before us lived through more desperate times than we are experiencing, give us perspective, and validate the great hope that faith gives.

In this materialistic age of forensic science, nanotechnology and pop psychology, gifts that affirm the supernatural and mysterious nature of our Spirituality are of inestimable worth.

Why would a group of wealthy, influential and gifted men risk their lives, travel hundreds of miles through hostile terrain populated by nomads and bandits to give precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to a complete stranger, and an infant, at that? Why would they kneel before him and worship him? Why would they then disappear and never be heard from again?

Relatives are people whom we have a blood relationship with, by birth, not by design. They are constants in the equation of life. Their value cannot be altered, and if they are omitted, the equation will yield the wrong result.

Musicality is a gift that binds people together and affirms a relationship between them, sometimes defined by the music itself, its composers, the musicians that play it and the singers who perform it. Eloquence is a gift that can inspire, motivate and unify disparate peoples, give them hope, and spark forward movement towards a better future, and a better faith.

The modern obsession with exhaustive, copious detail, endless analysis, massive overkill, propaganda and publicity remind us that in many cases, this results in gagging, numbness, stupor and confusion, particularly amongst the young. Great leaders attract devoted followers, and are recognised and affirmed even from a young age. History teaches us that the evidence has to be weighed and sifted objectively, with humility, and being aware of the traps that exist to test us.

History teaches us that some great leaders have risen from poverty to prominence, because their talents demanded it, because their peers promoted them, because they realized no one else was willing to take the risks, in order to reap the rewards. History teaches us that life is cheap, that the poor are neglected, shoved aside and abused, but someone changed all that.

A leader quite unlike his brothers and sisters, and yet at the same time, indistinguishable from them. A leader who trained a group of young men to continue his work after he was gone. A leader who raised the status of women. A leader whose family fled the land of their birth because of ruthless, political persecution. A leader whose early years are, for the most part, shrouded in mystery. A leader who repeated the pilgrimage of his ancestors.

SADNESS TO GLADNESS

It is possible to overcome humiliation. There can be a new beginning now. Sadness can be replaced with joy. We need an annual reminder. It is a good tradition. The mass media can play a meaningful part in conveying this message of hope. They can be agents of positive change. Commercialization is also recognition. This message needs to be magnified. It needs to be emphasized. It needs to be told simply, yet also completely. Let’s celebrate it.

Let’s revere it. Its popularity endures because the Festive Season is the best part of the year.

It is the time of the birth of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. Jesus is the reason for the season. Christ is the hope of the church.