I was talking to the girl cutting my hair this week and, in the midst of the shopping mall madness in the week before Christmas, she bemoaned that she wished we didn't have Christmas at all. She's not alone, I'm sure. Whether it is the pressures of the season - financial, family, time - that produce a jadedness to the it all, I'm sure others think the same way.
But, if we didn't have Christmas, what would life be like? What would the world look like without Christmas?
Of course, no Christmas would mean no presents, no tree, no suburban Christmas lights to light up our streets. There would also be no carols to sing and no candlelight on community ovals to sing them by. There would be no joy and no high point in the last week of December, it would just be another week in the year.
There would also be no memories around the "modern" traditions of Christmas day; no crackers, no silly hats and no bad jokes, no turkey and ham, and (importantly) no leftovers to enjoy watching the cricket on Boxing Day.
They are the obvious losses we would suffer if Christmas was no more. And still there are some who would say that is no great loss. But is that really the extent of the impact of Christmas? I think there is more, much more.
As much as some would love us to overlook or forget it, the reason we have Christmas is because of Christ and His birth, and the life He lived for us.
If we look through history, the legacy Jesus left has been overwhelmingly good. Whilst not every person claiming the title of Christian has had a positive impact upon the world, there is an overwhelming weight of evidence to show that the effect Jesus Christ has had on the world and human history has been hugely positive.
Christians had a lasting impact on the Roman Empire. They went from being a heavily persecuted minority to having the Christian religion adopted as Rome's official religion just over a century later. Why did this happen? The effect of Jesus' followers on the empire. In 254 AD Christians saved the city of Corinth from the plague by caring for those who were dragged and dumped in the streets.
The barbaric nature of the empire was challenged by the selfless love of Christians. This saw not only the ending of Gladiatorial blood sports, but also the horrific practices of infanticide.
The Middle Ages saw Christians at the forefront of what we now know as our modern hospitals. Monasteries became places of refuge for the sick, infirm and outcast. Monasteries also had a high value on the written word and so painstakingly preserved ancient manuscripts.
The church also was used as an educational pioneer. Churches were places where people could learn Latin, and this developed into wide scale literacy and formal education. This seedbed of learning also gave way to the reformation and renaissance period.
The Reformation was a time of massive change through learning. A growing appreciation and progress in the areas of art, music, science, and knowledge was due in no small part to Christianity and the church. Scientific developments at this time invariably took place in the Christian West, not East. In fact most great scientists of the era were Christian (Newton, Pasteur, Pascal, Fleming and others).
Why was this? The Christian understanding of the world is a positive one, it cultivates an understanding of the created order, and teaches that man carries a God-given mandate of "dominion", which leads to initiative, progress, and development.
Higher education was also a domain of Christians, first throughout Europe and the new world where universities were first established as seminaries, reflecting their Christian purpose.
Christ and His followers have also had a monumental effect on society over the centuries. Jesus demonstrates a very radical approach in treatment of women from much of the ancient world, and this has been the primary driving force in the equality we know today.
William Wilberforce is well known for his work on the abolition of slavery. But less well known are the other social works many other believers have also brought to the world. From prison and labour reform, to the founding of many major philanthropic and charity works, such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, orphanages, Christian Missionary Society, YMCA and others. These many like them have laboured to take modern medicine and education global, and they have done so in the name of Christ.
There are many other shining lights of the work of Christians through out history. The church itself has continued to grow and spread the Gospel in virtually every nation on the earth, often in the face of heavy persecution. This conviction in their Christian beliefs has been for the benefit of us all, as we continue to enjoy the benefits of the work of Jesus Christ in many of the things we take for granted.
We can't ignore it, deny it or revise it. The world WAS irrevocably changed on the day Jesus came into the world! The world has been changed by Jesus, but Christmas is an opportunity to ask ourselves this question, HAVE I BEEN CHANGED BY JESUS?
Giving your life to Jesus is the best gift you could give to the giver of all gifts this Christmas.
2 Cor 9:15 "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"