From Advent to Christmas Eve & the Birth of the Rebel Jesus

Today is Christmas Eve.  Today we begin to break the dark silence of Advent just as the post-solstice movement of the sun (which is actually the movement of the Earth) begins its march away from darkness toward more sun. 

Thousands of modern Druids and pagans gather at the 5,000-year-old world heritage site, Stonehenge, to celebrate the winter solstice. The Independent.

This is surely why our ancestors—from New Grange in Ireland to Stonehenge in England, from Egypt, Peru and so many other places and cultures honored the solstice day in the most splendid fashion—by making monuments that were scientifically and astronomically as sophisticated as was the architecture itself that has lasted all these centuries.

This is also why Christian ancestors chose this season to announce the coming of the “sol justitiae” (“sun of justice”) incarnated in Jesus.  

Looking back on the birthday of Jesus, they composed stories that were astounding for their cosmology about his birth because they felt it represented a breakthrough in the history of humankind, an occasion for the coming of Justice, Compassion and Peace.  The “prince of peace” some called him.

“The Birth of Christ.” Albrecht Altdorfer (ca. 1513). Wikimedia Commons.

Advent yields to Good News and the darkness of human folly gives way to light a promise of “Peace to all people of good will.”  It happens in the darkness of night, a special night, a sacred night.  Light penetrates the darkness.

The news is delivered by cosmic beings called angels and not to the powerful but to shepherds busy working their dangerous jobs in the cold winter night.  And they went to see the child with the message they received “and all who heard were astonished at what the shepherds said about this child.”  (Lk 1. 17)

The story is a powerful one and an attractive one and it has appealed to millions over the last 2000 years who have heard of it.  It has been interpreted and re-interpreted in many cultures and to people of varied traditions.

Artists too have told and retold the story.  One such artist is musician Jackson Browne whose song “The Rebel Jesus” I highly recommend.  For it thoroughly desentimentalizes Christmas and gets to the authentic spirit of the message of the historical Jesus, a spirit of justice and compassion-making.  

“The Rebel Jesus” by Jackson Browne (original video with lyrics). Nescio K

The songwriter demonstrates some compassion of his own at the end of the song where, having criticized religion that does not do what Jesus taught, nevertheless offers a prayer of “cheer” from his lips of “a heathen and a pagan” whose temple is not gold-filled churches but nature itself.  But a heathen and a pagan “on the side of the rebel Jesus.”

We move from expectancy and pregnancy to the birth of something new, from darkness and silence to light and joy.  And promise of much work ahead.


See Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus, Stations of the Cosmic Christ, pp. 64-69.  

And Fox, “On Desentimentalizing Spirituality,” in Fox, Wrestling with the Prophets: Essays on Creation Spirituality and Everyday Life, pp. 297-316.

To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.

Banner Image: “Nativity, Birth of Jesus.” Third of six mosaics on the Life of the Virgin by Pietro Cavallini (1290/91), at Basilica Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome. Photo by Slices of Light on Flickr.

Queries for Contemplation

What does the eve of Christmas mean to you?  How do you resist the sentimentalizing of Christmas?


Recommended Reading

Stations of the Cosmic Christ
By Matthew Fox and Bishop Marc Andrus.

This is a book of meditations on the Cosmic Christ, accompanying the images of 16 wonderful clay tablets by Javier Ullrrich Lemus and M.C. Richards. Together, these images and meditations go far beyond the traditional Stations of the Cross to inspire a spirit awakening and understanding of the cosmic Christ Consciousness, Buddha consciousness, and consciousness of the image of God in all beings, so needed in our times.
“A divinely inspired book that must be read by every human being devoted to spiritual and global survival. It is cosmically brilliant.” — Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit

Wrestling with the Prophets: Essays on Creation Spirituality and Everyday Life

In one of his foundational works, Fox engages with some of history’s greatest mystics, philosophers, and prophets in profound and hard-hitting essays on such varied topics as Eco-Spirituality, AIDS, homosexuality, spiritual feminism, environmental revolution, Native American spirituality, Christian mysticism, Art and Spirituality, Art as Meditation, Interfaith or Deep Ecumenism and more.


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11 thoughts on “From Advent to Christmas Eve & the Birth of the Rebel Jesus”

  1. Richard Reich-Kuykendall
    Richard Reich-Kuykendall

    Matthew, You tell us: “Today is Christmas Eve. Today we begin to break the dark silence of Advent just as the post-solstice movement of the sun… begins its march away from darkness toward more sun.” Our ancestors—from New Grange in Ireland to Stonehenge in England, from Egypt, Peru and so many other places and cultures honored and celebrated winter solstice—by making monuments that were astronomically as sophisticated as was the architecture itself that has lasted all these centuries. This is also why Christian ancestors chose this season to announce the coming of the “sol invictus” (“invincible sun”) incarnated in Jesus. Looking back on the birthday of Jesus, they composed stories such as those found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, as well as in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and others. These stories were attended by angels, priests of the Zoroastrian religion, shepherds, and domestic animals. And as far as Jackson Browne’s song “The Rebel Jesus” goes, “’a heathen and a pagan’ whose temple is nature itself” makes sense because the term “heathen” simply means one who lives on the “heath,” and “pagan” simply means “country folk.” And I resist the temptation to sentimentalize Christmas by thinking about and writing about things like this !!!

  2. Avatar

    Not sentimental per say, but an active present moment and conscious decision and action, and one of the only gifts that I can, we can offer to everyone, to everyone throughout the year.

    “Offering Ourselves Up to All in Goodwill and Friendship”

    May we all hold the ‘Christmas message and experience’ in our hearts all year long. What comes to mind, to heart, is the ‘offering of ourselves up to all’ in goodwill and friendship. This is the gift that we are all capable of giving to everyone throughout the year. What we give is what we receive. Blessings to all. Friendship to all. Goodwill to all. Merry Christmas to all, from my Heart, from our Hearts. — BB.

  3. Avatar

    CHRISTMAS THEN AND NOW

    A Poem by Malcolm Guinte

    REFUGEE

    We think of him as safe beneath the steeple,
    Or cozy in a crib beside the font,
    ***
    But he is with a million displaced people
    On the long road of weariness and want.
    For even as we sing our final carol
    His family is up and on that road,
    Fleeing the wrath of someone else’s quarrel,
    Glancing behind and shouldering their load.
    ***
    Whilst Herod rages still from his dark tower
    Christ clings to Mary, fingers tightly curled,
    The lambs are slaughtered by the men of power
    ***
    Now death squads spread their curse across our world.
    ***
    But every Herod dies, and comes alone
    To stand before the Lamb upon the throne.
    ***

    Wishing the DM community Peace, Grace and Blessing

  4. Avatar

    Three wise men came from afar
    carrying precious gifts to bear
    following a brilliant northern star
    they journied from the East to there.
    Upon arrival at the sight of the child
    and the glory of whom they saw
    they rebelled further onward North
    ignoring the return of Herod’s call.

    A few Prophets they foresaw
    His coming on this silent night
    the legend of His destiny revealed
    the birthing of His cosmic light.
    Boldly they proclaimed the words
    interpreting sigils written on the wall
    of the rebel sent for all mankind and
    the story of King Herod’s temple fall.

    Shepherds in the fields that night
    could not calm nor settle the flock
    the oxe, sheep and lambs rose up
    and on and on and on they walked.
    For beating from deep within the earth
    they sensed rythms of a sacred sound
    rebelling the shepherd’s staff they now led
    these ones to walk the path of holy ground.

    In the darkness of a hidden cave
    Mother Mary birthed this night
    the soul with a message, a holy cause
    bringer of the way, truth and the light.
    Parting many veils of lies and illusions
    He would reveal mysteries hidden in the heart
    rebel of love, justice, compassion and mercy
    An emerging vision of evolution He would start.

  5. Avatar

    The eve of Christmas symbolizes for me as another holy reminder that every day is the eve and potential birth of the Christ within us who integrates and transforms the unique humanity of our evolving souls and Divine Nature within and among us with Her Divine Spirit of Love~Wisdom~Peace~Justice~Healing~Transformation~Creativity~Beauty~Joy~Diverse Oneness~Eternal Compassionate Evolution with-in our multidimensional and multiverse Cosmos, including our Sacred Mother Earth and all of her graceful abundance and living creatures….

  6. Avatar

    Thank you, Matthew for including the lyrics to the song. It makes the powerful message of the music accessible to those of us who are deaf. It’s a thoughtful gesture, and very much appreciated.

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