God is a hard act to follow!!!

I've spent some time over this last week trying to think in the back of my mind as to whether I thought this billboard poster was offensive to me as a Christian, or if I was able to take it in the humourous vein I think it was intended in.

I for one do agree with the caption more than anything. After all, God is a hard act to follow!

But I as a Christian think sometimes people spend too much time on the little details and not enough time on the meaning and we also assign human/mortal limitations on what God can and cannot do. (Maybe this is better suited to my LDSVIEW blog but hey...I'll roll with it).

The birth of Christ was prophesied thousands of years through Old Testament history. Isaiah 9 records "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa 9:6)...and "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa 7:14).

There are differing accounts in the New Testament on the birth or the act of conception but Matthew records the following...(Matt 1:18-20).

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost".

The Vicar of St Matthews in the City responsible for the poster Glynn Cardy said "Progressive Christianity is distinctive in that not only does it articulate a clear view, it is also interested in engaging with those who differ. "Its vision is one of robust engagement"...and the move was to provoke thought and conversation about the true origins of Christmas.

I in part think it achieved something more unexpected...people don't generally like the sacred spread over a billboard.

Listening to Danny Watson the other day he said something that should have really made him understand why there was such an uproar. The talk at the time was about sacred things and should we bring those sacred things more out into the light.

The thing about the sacred is that it is kept that way simply because those in the general populous may not understand them, therefore leaving them open to light treatment or even jest.

To me, it is really irrelevant how Jesus was conceived. The simple fact of the matter is that as the story lies a virgin, Mary conceived and bear a son who became through his divine lineage the Saviour of Mankind and later, died on the Cross for all who would believe in His name.

So...do I think this sign is offensive to me as a Christian? I think it crosses a line...but I don't think its offensive to me personally.

There will always be those who want to push boundaries and so on and that's not an entirely bad thing. Discussion should be put out there and things to provoke good, wholesome discussion and debate should be welcomed...but this crossed that line from good wholesome debate to sexualising the birth of Jesus Christ, and that's not right.

I am more concerned about the over commercialisation of Christmas. I saw Christmas things going on sale long before Halloween had come around. Its this kind of commercialism that takes away from the spirit of Christmas and the things we should be remembering, the significant event of the birth of the Son of God.

That...is a hard act to follow!!!