Calton's Christmas Message

The First Minister's choice of image for his Christmas card tells us a lot about what he believes and where he wants to take us as a nation. It depicts a fictional 4th Magi or Wise Man - Artaban - who misses out on seeing Jesus because he is caught up with helping others he meets along the way. He is a seeker who never finds but who is finally admitted to Heaven on the strength of his good works. It all sounds very nice but, actually, it is the antithesis of the Christmas message - which is that none of us can ever do enough good to merit entrance to Heaven and so God sent, not a muscular wise man, but a helpless baby to do what we cannot do and save us from our helplessness, failure and sin. Accepting that baby requires a humility which the First Minister seems to lack. It looks like he would rather try to reach Heaven by his own efforts, like Artaban, and the Scotland he wishes to create is one in which the gospel of Christ is increasingly marginalised, as the baby Jesus is in his card. Artaban sought and never found but Christ promises that all who seek will find Him. Just as #lostbear was found by his owner this week and regained his identity as Roar the Lion, we need to seek and be found by our owner, God, the one who created us, and, in so doing, find our true identity. That is the real message of Christmas.