I’m not generally in favour of moaning about the world; moaning rarely has any good effect. Yet, as we come to the end of 2009, I find myself reflecting on a world where selfishness seems to have the upper hand. It appears that bankers cannot wean themselves off the big bonus culture; MPs cannot wean themselves off the big expenses culture; the Western world is unprepared to wean itself off the big carbon emission culture, and the developing nations are not prepared to try, unless they are bankrolled by the richer nations. I daresay that I have my own blindspots, where I can’t see how my selfishness impacts in a negative way on those around me. Where does self-interest turn into selfishness?
And the trouble is that one person’s selfishness makes us all feel selfish: if they’re looking after Number One, perhaps we need to as well.
Ultimately, the Christmas message is the opposite of selfishness: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3.16) Christians believe that the baby of Bethlehem is the final word in selflessness. “Take to heart among yourselves what you find in Jesus Christ: he shared the nature of God; yet he didn’t claim equality with God, but made himself nothing, accepting the humblest role. As a human, he became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2.5,6)
In the Christmas story then, we see the generosity of God: a God who loves and desires our friendship so much that he gives himself totally to us in an attempt to win us out of selfishness into a love for him and the world.
This is the cutting edge of Christmas. In a world where so many are putting themselves first, and looking after their own interests – is that the sort of world we really want? Is that the sort of society we really want to build? Or does the Child of Bethlehem have something to teach us after all? In his adult life, he went on to say: “Beware, keep well away from greediness of every kind, for the real quality of anyone’s life does not depend on the extent or abundance of possessions” (Luke 12.15)
All over the country this Christmas, the truth of these words will be lived out. There will be little and big acts of generosity, as people care for their relatives, take on the task of visiting, working with shelters, providing parcels for adults and children in need. It will warm the hearts of those who receive, and those who give. These green shoots of love point to a different world, and one in which the truth of Christmas becomes a fulfilling way of living. Such life is one of the truest Christmas messages of all.
Gregory K Cameron,
Bishop of St Asaph
