Baxter loves salmon. If I unwrap a fillet on the kitchen counter, he begins to react. His nose goes in the air. His tail is at alert. He stands on his hind legs with his paws on the cabinet drawers trying to get a peak at the delicacy. He meows loudly, rubs up against my leg, and then starts pacing, anxious to get a taste of the first morsel. There is no doubting it. Baxter’s favorite food is salmon.
Christmas is a time for us to enjoy our favorite foods as well. Much time is spent preparing the special holiday dishes and pastries. Some of these are once a year specialties. The tastes and aromas of these foods bring back memories of past Christmases with family and friends. They remind us of our heritage, of cherished loved ones who have passed, of long conversations around the table and the tree as Christmas day draws to a close. We taste more than the food. We taste what makes life worthwhile in our favorite foods of Christmas.
The Eucharist we celebrate at Christmas also holds some special tastes for us. At the Lord’s table on this feast, we come to realize God’s inescapable nearness to us. Born of a woman, nurtured as an infant, this is no divine warrior conquering the world by brute force. This is the divine child, soft and tender, claiming our attention by His innocence and melting our hard hearts by His vulnerability. This is God made simple, not as a naïve minor protected from the responsibilities of the adult world, but as a pure union of God and humanity in perfect harmony. Our carols sing of Him, but His birth first sings to us of how God is glorified in our flesh by bringing peace to all. If our souls can receive this wonderful mystery in the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation, life begins to taste sweet and rich to us despite its harsh and cruel side.
For many people, Christmas tastes sour because it recalls the losses, disappointments and unfairness of life. The gaiety and celebration of the season stands only as a reminder of these bitter realities. But putting Christ in Christmas draws us deeper into the celebration. What makes this day a feast is the taste of God’s delight in us who are so weak and fickle, and yet so lovable. This is what the Father saw in the Son’s birth, and what He sees in everyone born of His Son’s Spirit. It is better than all the cookies and candy, special cakes and spiked concoctions we can make. Yes, Baxter, it is even better than salmon. It is the joy of Christmas, the joy of God in our hearts, the holy laughter at sin and evil which, try as it might, can never win.
