As Noddy Holder says clearly and raucously, “It’s Christmas!” Strictly speaking, it’s not even Advent as I write, but by the time you read this, we’ll be just about hearing his dulcet tones on the radio and in the shops, so I figure now’s a good time to mention the “C” word. Advertisers have, of course, been busy getting us ready for it for some time, so it’s hardly new. Maybe you’ve heard the bubblings of controversy over the Boots advert. Maybe you are secretly hoping that Dawn French’s Christmas fairy will help you with your Christmas shopping, decorations and catering, too… Or maybe, like loads of people, you’re wondering what on earth the John Lewis advert is about!
It seems to me to be the story of a woman wandering through the shop, like we all do at this time of year, trying to find a suitable present for her sister. As she goes, everything she touches or sees calls to mind a memory of the life they have shared – some of those memories are very happy; some are quite sad; some even hurtful. To some extent, all of life is captured in the advert. Eventually, she finds what she believes is the right gift. Her sister, waiting in the cold outside the store asks, “What took you so long?” “You!” is the smiling response before they walk off together.
There’s something quite appropriate in taking a long time to choose a present for someone if this is a sign of careful thought being exercised. That’s what underpins this advert. Anyone can buy a box of chocolates, and most people would be pleased with them, but we all (hopefully) try a little harder than that for our nearest and dearest, aiming to get them something they really will treasure. Now this is not a Christmas gift story, but I was really pleased to hear my daughter’s delight that her now fiancé bought a ring that they had seen in a shop several months previously and that she had said she really liked. He had listened carefully to her in the first place (that bodes well for their relationship!), and then he had gone to the trouble of travelling back to the shop to purchase it on a separate occasion so it could be a proper surprise. She was really pleased. The ring was valuable enough. The care that went into its selection made it even more precious. It was chosen out of love and in the sure knowledge that it would be received with joy because he knew her and her heart’s desire.
One of the things that the priest says to the couple in their wedding service, just before they make their vows, is that God knows all the secrets of our hearts. Jesus said that every hair on our head is numbered. We are intimately and perfectly known by God – he knows us better than we know ourselves. Like the woman in the John Lewis advert reviewing the good and bad memories of her sister, God knows us, warts and all, so his present to us is perfect. No expense has been spared; he has given us himself – the king of heaven laid in the straw of an animals’ feeding trough.
This Christmas, if you feel at all lost or unlovely – if you feel that no one would really like you if they could see beyond the persona you present – know that God sees perfectly, and he loves you perfectly. The child wrapped in swaddling cloths is a gift of love for you.
May you unwrap the greatest ever gift of love this Christmas.