It is so difficult to say anything about Christmas that hasn’t already been said, sung, written or rehearsed. Walk into any shop this time of year and all the old favourites are sounding out. From Bob Geldof to Charles Wesley via Slade. Then we have most churches and front windows with the standard nativity scene. Behind the frontages are, inevitably, a whole range of feelings.  As Robert Lynd observed “There are some people who want to throw their arms round you simply because it is Christmas; there are other people who want to strangle you simply because it is Christmas.” We all know that range of feelings - often all at once!

The gospel story has Mary and Joseph covering about 100 miles to reach Bethlehem in order to meets the demand of Augustus Caesar for taxation purposes. (A mere two hour drive by car. Somewhat longer on a donkey!) Presumably Joseph and Mary were not happy about this edict from on high but complied nonetheless. This all happened in the days of Herod the Great who was a divisive character and was seen either as a ruthless tyrant or as a civilisation builder. Presumably one’s view of Herod depended on one’s social status and how vulnerable or otherwise one felt. (Nothing changes!) Obedience is too often linked with fear, particularly in states where power is held by a powerful monarch whose chief aim seems to be to keep power by any means possible. 

As a therapist, I meet many Herods who control my patient’s lives with their commands and edicts. Freud called this the super ego. It is rarely experienced as kind or benevolent. It is best understood as an inner Voice declaring, loudly, “Thou shalt not…” or “Thou art not…”.  Rather like Herod’s massacre of the Innocents, an overly critical super ego rapidly destroys the infant ego or sense of self.

In the same way that Mary, Joseph and their firstborn were warned of Herod’s plan in a dream, so our dreams should be taken seriously. And, in this instance, not only our sleeping dreams, but our waking ones as well. There is a verse in the Old Testament book of Proverbs that I’ve always liked. Proverbs 29:18 declares that “without a vision, the people perish.” (For vision read “dream”.) For me the meaning of Christmas is that it gives us permission to dream. And to use that dream creatively in the way that defeats our inner Herod’s destructive influence.

I began with the quote from Leah Hall that Christmas holds all time together. And, to add another quote, from T S Eliot “Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future. And time future contained in time past.” For me both Hall and Eliot are talking about the importance of Dream.  I’ve capitalised dream because I think our birthright is the Dream - of creativity; freedom; loving and hating; life and death; new beginnings and new endings. This is my Christmas message.