Christmas is with us again and all those festivities we associate with the Christmas season. Chances are you’ll be singing carols, giving and receiving presents and, for many of us, enjoying a turkey dinner on Christmas Day.
Ever wonder why turkeys are called turkeys? They don’t come from the country of Turkey – or Türkiye as we are now asked to call it – so why call them turkeys? Seems it has to do with a misunderstanding. When they first appeared in this country, they were associated with Turkish traders and the name stuck.
It doesn’t stop there. Many other languages do a similar thing. In Turkish, the bird is named after India and that’s also true of French and Russian. In Greek, the turkey is known as a French chicken. In Arabic, it’s a Roman rooster which is just an alternative way of saying ‘turkey’ as many people associated that area with the old Roman Empire. And in Portuguese, the turkey is a ‘peru’ which is a bit closer to America, the home of the turkey, but still miles out geographically!
Listen to the Christmas story and you will hear of those who came to worship a baby, believing him to be special. ‘Jesus from Nazareth’, he came to be called. Little did those wise men and shepherds know that Jesus originated from somewhere very different and much further afield, somewhere beyond their known world – and would one day return to his Heavenly home.
‘… he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.’
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father’. (Philippians 2)
Do you like to follow tradition and make a wish while snapping the wishbone or hunt for a lucky sixpence in the Christmas pudding? Think for a moment, though. Those practices are just for one day and, sorry to disappoint you, very unlikely to bear fruit.
You, on the other hand, can pray to Jesus 24/7, 365 days a year. You can pray to Jesus who was born into our world. You can pray to Jesus who lived our life and is totally aware of all its joys and sorrows. You can pray to Jesus who ascended to Heaven as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a privilege and what a treasure sparkling at the heart of our Christmas story.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, bless me and bless my family that this year we may see you more clearly at the centre of our Christmas celebrations and follow you more closely in the months ahead. Amen.