 The Very
Reverend Michael J. Pitts
December 2007
Dear Friends,
I have just begun reading a new book by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic
Crossan, The First Christmas (Harper One 2007). I thoroughly recommend
it for any who wish to take a radical look at the significance of the Christmas
stories of the Gospels. In the preface, Borg and Crossan speak of the way in
which the importance of Christmas is not only religious, but cultural and
commercial. They also point out that no other religious holiday is so widely
commemorated by people who are outside of the tradition that originated it.
Of these things we are well aware here in downtown Montreal. We are
inundated with Christmas lights, decorations and muzac from mid November to
December 26th. The incessant sub-text tells us that human fulfilment comes
through spending, growth and the creation of wealth. However, before we too
quickly condemn all that, let us begin by remembering that, within the
Christian tradition, the most important message of Christmas is the doctrine
of the incarnation. Jesus is the Word made Flesh. Jesus comes among us, his
humanity meeting ours with our joys and sorrows our good intentions and our
pathetic attempts to achieve the fullness of our humanity. Jesus comes, John
tells us, not … to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be
saved through him. (John 3:17) Jesus comes that [we] may have life,
and have it abundantly. (John 10:10).
The Jesus of the Gospels comes to us with affirmation and critique, and
we, who are his witnesses and his presence in our world today, likewise are
to come with affirmation and critique. But to discern what is to be affirmed
and what is to be criticized is a task with no easy or simple solutions. It
is a task we can pursue only through an ever increasing knowledge of our
society and its culture, together with a continuing dialogue between faiths
and cultures. This is a dialogue which needs to take place not only between
different people and groups, but also within our own individual self
understanding. But then, there is another need. Before we can either affirm
or criticize our society we need to find a way to speak in a place and
language where people can hear and understand. Jesus was not born in a
synagogue or a temple but, according to Luke, in a stable. With a few exceptions,
the stories of Jesus’ teaching and dialogues in the Gospels are set not in
religious places, but in the countryside, beside the lake and at numerous
parties. In western society, the greater part of the population has lost all
expectation that Christian faith might be a source of life abundant. If we
are to bear witness to the Christmas and Christian message, we have a lot of
hard work do, a lot of commitment to call for, but I believe that it is only
in this commitment and work that we shall find the true joy, of which we
speak at Christmas time.
Michael J. Pitts,
Dean and Rector
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