Tartin Mop: The True Meaning of Christmas

Our old friend 'Rev Dr Ms Alana Denmars' has kindly agreed to write a guest piece on 'What is the true meaning of Christmas?'

Talk about tough questions! This is one of the hardest theological conundrums I have ever been asked to try and fathom. I asked one of our deacons who suggested I consult a Bible, but I couldn’t find one, and I’m pretty sure that the Bible is more concerned with ecological issues and gender equality than stuff about Christmas. In the end I watched the video Jesus of Nazareth, which is basically the Bible anyway. Apart from the very patriarchal metanarrative presented by that film (note how they always depict Mary as the mother and never Joseph!!), I was struck by the very sweet family which seemed to dominate the story. Of course, most of it was make-believe- metaphorical parables designed to express wonderfully deep truths too complex for ordinary people to understand. If we discount all that talk about a star, a manger, a donkey, angels, magi, Herod, a baby, an inn, and Bethlehem, what we have left is probably authentic.

Yes, the true meaning of Christmas is families. Spend more time with them. Appreciate them. You might even want to make one. This is the true meaning of Christmas: Christ Jesus came into the world to spend time with his family. And that’s what we should do, too. The inspirational Janice Maeditere once said:

"Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts."

Yours Wokely,

Rev Dr Ms Alana Denmars (she/hers),

Ichabod Chapel, Tartin Mop

Image by Bruno from Pixabay