A Historical Christmas

"You know that tuberculosis was a huge killer before 1900," I said to the student who was working with me.

"I've heard that," he said vaguely.

"Some pretty famous people died of it," I said.

"Really...?"

"People like Robert Louis Stevenson," I said.

"Never heard of him," he returned.

"How about the Bronte sisters?"

"I don't think I know who they are either.  A musical group?"  He hazarded a guess.

"How about Frederic Chopin?"

"He sounds foreign," the student said.  "I don't know a whole lot about pop culture."

I gave up.  Clearly he wasn't going to recognize any historical figures that were born pre-1970.

Part of the problem with history is that there is so much of it.  Everything from Washington Crossing the Delaware, to the Journeys of Marco Polo, to the Crimean War falls within its purview.  The bigger problem is that for many people, historical things feel very remote and unrelated to their lives today.

I guess I think about it now, because it is hard for people to understand how the birth, life and death of a man two thousand years ago should make any difference in their lives today. Something from so long ago in the past feels meaningless to the modern American.

Christmas is about remembering just such a life.

They would be right, if Jesus birth was a one time event.  They would be right if Jesus' life was so long past that it was shrouded in the mists of time, but there is something different here, because yes, Jesus was a historical figure, but He is more than that.

Jesus lives today, not as a baby in a manger, but as a Redeemer, Savior, and a Friend.  It's not that Jesus lived, it is that He lives.

I spoke to Him just this morning and I guess that makes all of the difference in the world to make Him the most important person to know.

Even for people uninterested in history.