Christmas in Switzerland

We arrived in Switzerland about 2 weeks ago for a family vacation. We signed up for a small group tour with Tour 168 of Switzerland (www.tour168.ch) run by Mario and his Peranakan Singaporean wife Andrea. The itinerary and pace of the tour fit our family perfectly. With a teenage son and two very young kids, a large group tour would not have worked for us and I suspect we wouldn't have known what we may have missed if we did that. 

Being a country historically rooted in Christianity, there is at least one church in each village. These churches are visually stunning and they warm the senses when the bells toll. During this time of the year, there are no shortage of visual cues of Christmas. Blending in the seasonal markets and decorations with quintessential snow covered mountains, quaint villages and family fun in the snow it feels like we've jumped right into a series of Christmas greeting cards. You can't help but feel Christmassy.

Yet the first Christmas more than 2000 years ago was something that happened far away from Switzerland at the time of the year that probably wasn't quite as cold. Somewhere in the Middle East, in the little town of Bethlehem, "a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". The claim is that God himself had come to us incarnate, that he may one day be a full and perfect living sacrifice to reconcile man to Himself. The claim is that God is able, willing and longing to dwell among us, and this was fulfilled with the birth of baby Jesus, witnessed by lowly shepherds "wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger". 

On our 2nd day in Zurich before we joined the tour, we visited the Christmas market at Bellevue located next to the lake. Whilst there we chanced upon a stall that was still under construction. It looked like a barn, with two donkeys and two goats feeding on hay. The stall was surrounded by families and kids reaching out to pet the animals. In one corner, was a man was carrying a lamb and offering it out to families for photo opportunities. My younger kids were very excited at the prospect of carrying the lamb but in the end they were too frightened so I ended up carrying it. I was surprised by how calm it stayed. It was warm and fluffy and had a gentle look in its eyes. At that moment, I was reminded of baby Jesus, who came as the lamb of God who came to " wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow".

Have a blessed Christmas. God is good.