O Emmanuel

(Nativity by He Qi - found here)

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,

the hope of the nations and their Saviour:

Come and save us, O Lord our God

“It is such a deceptively simple phrase – God with us, Emmanuel, yet it makes theologies, philosophies, and political theories reel.

He Qi’s nativity scene shows both the sweet simplicity and the dazzling complexity of what it is we celebrate at Christmas. At the heart of the picture are the Virgin and Child, in lovely pastel colours, their heads together in the idyllic pose of a mother holding her beloved firstborn. For the moment, Mary is unconscious of the line that slices between her and the baby, the sword that will pierce her heart; for the moment, the apple is just a bright and wholesome toy, but it echoes back to the garden of Eden.

The geometric lines create a sense of turbulence as worlds collide around this birth. Joseph plants his strong foot firmly on the platform where the Mother and Child sit, and holds his lantern up watchfully; he will do all he can to protect his little family from the intersecting currents that swirl around. Some of the lines seem to be creating waves of joy: the sheep, for example, seem to be dancing to a music that only they can hear, while the shepherds are caught up in the turbulence created by the angel. The slats and lines in the background of the picture make it look almost as if this is a windmill rather than a stable, as though the shelter where the family crouch is about to start wheeling and turning around the child, who simply sits in his mother’s arms, accepting what is to come.

This one act of God redefines so much. It redefines God. The one who is not an object in the universe but its source and sustainer enters into creation and becomes part of it. God who is the unmoved mover, the only being who exists so absolutely that there is no need to seek a prior cause, God who is, by definition beyond human knowledge, comes to be God with us, Emmanuel. … It takes shocking force to absorb hatred and violence and death and turn them into love, peace and life. It lays down a challenge to all other power structures: will they measure up? It is an act of such wild rationality, to show human beings that they both are and are not the centre of the universe. They always thought the universe revolved around them, and they are right – insofar as they are prepared to find themselves redefined in Emmanuel, God with us. The universe revolves around this human being, and those who find themselves in him by giving themselves up, to him and to each other.

He Qi’s nativity scene is refracted through a prismatic mirror, warning us of all that is to come. The Roman Empire has its own world to protect, where might is right. Soon, Herod will advance to defend his throne by slaughter. The religious world has its own mirror, which shows the Mother and Child in a dubious light. This is not how God behaves. Soon the teachers and priests will move in and point out how little Emmanuel knows about God’s real nature. The shepherds will go home, but others will come, hoping to find health, wealth and happiness, telling Emmanuel what God is for, and losing interest when Emmanuel has other ideas. So many different views of this one act, all of them seeking to make it suit their own purposes.

But, for the moment, the sheep dance, the angel sings, Joseph and the donkey watch the child, and Mary cuddles him. God is given into our hands. God with us.”

~Jane Williams