The Essence of Christmas

Anya Kotrikadze reflects on Christmas - east & west

I

n the movie Caucasian Prisoner, the main character Shurik visits Caucasia to learn the rituals and traditions of the population. He wants to know the smallest, tiniest details about everything. In order to get first-hand experience, he also wants to participate in a common ritual with the native folk. But when his wish is fulfilled, it nearly ends in tragedy.

Every population, nationality, ethnic group or even every family has its own traditions. This usually means there are some sort of ceremonial events which the people observe year after year. Very often, the answer to the question “Why must you do things this way and not another?” is “Because this is what is accepted”.

The rituals that are associated with celebrating Christmas have accumulated over centuries - decorating a tree, lighting candles and giving presents. Today, these traditions cannot be replaced and indeed do make up Christmas. Each and every one represents some part of the Christmas story. It is possible that families may even develop their own private rituals for celebrating this event.

On several occasions I visited North America and England during Christmas time. I really enjoyed being part of the “Christmas atmosphere”: decorated streets and houses, holiday signs, decorated store fronts and so on. I thought to myself that it’s such a shame that we didn’t have anything like that back home. However, when I spoke to my friends from the Western cultures, most of them said that their countries often spend Christmas without Jesus. Western Christmas celebrations have become very commercial events that encourage people to spend, spend, spend… even though their holiday season is very visually appealing, the main reason for this joyous occasion is lost and forgotten.

In the Bible, much is discussed regarding “the external” and “the internal” - these are the so-called questions “of shadow and of essence.”

We know that in the Old Testament God himself gave us, His people, certain rituals to follow. That was an indicator of how close His relationship is with His followers. Somehow, though, instead of emphasizing human integrity and our close relationship to God, we have chosen to focus on following those traditions and rituals. People were diligently offering animals and observing religious holidays, but God has repeatedly spoken through prophets saying that none of these things are as important as keeping your heart and soul pure in order to maintain close contact with God. When people follow this message they end up becoming more loving, doing deeds of mercy that are true, and living their lives in the way God intended.

Jesus spoke numerous times of the dangers of solely relying on ceremonies and superficial deeds. He taught through words and actions about the essence of why certain people have forgotten why those traditions should be followed and instead chose to focus on the superficial symbolic definitions. Jesus said that He is the reason and Lord of all those rituals. He came to Earth to make sure that these traditions would no longer come between God and his people. Jesus is the New Testament in our hearts.

In our countries, Christmas is not at quite the same level as in the West. I like the Western Christmas, but with all the hectic preparations for this holiday I don’t want to forget the true meaning of this celebration. Everything could look festive and pretty, but is there any place for Jesus amongst all the decorations? Is it possible that the desires to decorate the house, buy nice presents for the family, and make the event more “interesting” could be greater than the desire to prepare yourself spiritually?

There were many reasons that Jesus came down to Earth. One of those reasons was to bring peace to our busy hearts and souls. We all need inner peace and quiet. The only way to achieve that is through close contact with God, not following rituals and traditions. No amount of decorated streets and houses, lit candles, or pretty wrapped presents can come anywhere close to helping us achieve peace. The only way to get true peace is to take a break from our hectic lives and confess and apologize for again shifting our focus to secondary, superficial rituals. “Then the King will desire your beauty. Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him.” ( Psalm 45: 11)

I hope that our desires to decorate for Christmas and to make it a “special” occasion don’t tragically affect our souls. I wish for us all to obtain this inner peace, for Jesus to be a big part of our lives, for He is the one and only reason for this joyous occasion we call Christmas. I wish for God’s peace to fill our hearts and souls for our whole lives.

Writer: Capt. Anya Kotrikadze was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and became a Christian when she was 15. She met The Salvation Army in 1992, became a soldier in 1993 and an officer in 2002. She lives and serves in The Republic of Georgia now, at the Regional HQ.  “I have a multi-functional appointment. My favourite part is being the Editor for the Russian War Cry and Officer. I have a daughter who is almost 5 years old. I love traveling, reading, writing and cross-cultural experiences. My passion is to learn more about God and His word and share my experience and knowledge with others.”

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