Has The Christmas Story Overshadowed The Rest Of The Jesus Narrative?

Adoration of the Shepherds by 17th century Dutch painter 
Matthias Stomer (Wikipedia)

Christmas has become one of the most widely celebrated holidays of all time. From the pagan and crassly commercial manifestations of the December event to the many profoundly sacred and sublime celebrations of it, its impact on the world has become huge.

Meanwhile, some have questioned whether we should observe the holiday at all, given the extent to which it has been highjacked by commercial interests whose mission is totally counter to that of the one whose birth is supposedly being celebrating. 

Others make the case that the Nativity story has gotten a disproportionate amount of attention compared to what we typically give to the rest of Jesus' earthly life and ministry. They remind us that only two of the four New Testament gospels even have brief accounts of Jesus' birth, while all give extensive space to his healing and teaching work, and each devotes whole chapters to Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection.

By comparison, our church's newest Voices Together hymnal, not unlike those of other denominations, has all of 52 hymns under the heading of Advent and Christmas, 50 under Journey to the Cross (Lent), and Jesus' Death, and Resurrection, and only 23 hymns on the theme of Life, Teaching and Ministry of Jesus. Many other hymns contain elements of all of these themes, of course.

As another example, the Apostles' Creed, after affirming the heavenly origin of Jesus, makes no reference at all to his earthly ministry, going directly from "born of the Virgin Mary" to "suffered under Pontius Pilate." (See https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2014/10/guest-post-anabaptist-comma.html)

Having said that, there is something compelling and powerful about Jesus coming as a powerless infant rather than an omnipotent monarch.

Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary professor Ted Koontz, in a piece entitled, “Why did God come to us as a baby?” makes the point that while we see newborns as helpless and weak, a baby in fact has significant power. For example, a baby can wake parents in the middle of the night from a deep sleep, get them out of bed and respond to their needs when they would be willing to get up for few other reasons.

Yet, he notes, this cry of a baby represents a power to which we can respond or choose not to. It can profoundly move us, but at the same time it in no way forces us to do anything or robs us of our freedom. Some people might in fact be able to sleep on, oblivious to a baby’s cry. But there is something in our very natures that makes us want to respond. To refuse to do so would be to refuse to be who we know ourselves to be down deep.

This is an important part of the incarnation story, that the kind of divine call that comes to us in the form of “baby power” is the way God chooses to move us. It makes clear that God prefers the soft power of persuasion and invitation over than the hard power of violence and dominance.

In response, millions have acknowledged the Holy Child as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” as one who rules from a lowly manger and a martyr's cross rather than from a monarch's throne.

Oh, the magnitude of meekness!

Worth from worth immortal sprung!

Oh, the strength of infant weakness,

If eternal is so young.

- Christopher Smart, 1765 (from Voices Together #266, Who Is This Stupendous Stranger?)

Merry Christmas! (Note: The Anglo-Saxon origin of the word merry denotes "valiant," "illustrious," "great," or "gallant", as in Shakespeare's "a merry gale" referring to "a strong wind")