Faroes Christmass 2013

There Room for the Message of Joy?

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. ”

It was the fact, that now the impossible would happen! Now the Almighty creator of Heaven and Earth would emerge as a man, under the same conditions as the suffering and searching human race, to lead the individual towards righteousness, peace and joy in the Kingdom of God. This was consistent with the deep yearning for meaning and harmony in life – for just as the new-born thirst for milk and contact, mankind yearns for meaning and harmony. Genesis also tells us that man was created for the four harmonies – harmony with the neighbour, harmony with oneself, harmony with nature and harmony with God the Creator. These harmonies mankind was set to tend and protect.

And yet history of mankind is characterized by the fact that harmony has turned into disharmonies, which are perceived as meaninglessness, emptiness, injustice and suffering.

When a ship is in distress, it is the captain’s duty, first and foremost, to attempt to rescue the passengers, then the crew, and finally himself. If necessary, he may even have to sacrifice his life in order to save others.

It is this kind of solidarity we see depicted in the new Christmas stamps: that the Almighty Creator does not hesitate to settle among the poorest – the only shelter was in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. Eventually he died on the cross, because there was no room for him, neither in society nor in the hearts of men – all in order to save others by sacrificing himself.

When the angel Gabriel made Mary and Joseph aware that she would give birth to the one who was to be called Jesus, so that he might save humanity from injustice, they were afraid. And since he would also be called Immanuel, which meant that he was going to live and stay with every poor and distressed man, this message was too complex to comprehend. But when Mary was told, that for God nothing is impossible, she said obediently, “I am the Lord’s servant” and gave space to the good news: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

It is no wonder that this message was difficult to comprehend. The Apostle John tells us that this was also the news that the “Word”, which in the beginning was with God and was God, now would shine as a light in the darkness. This was the Logos-Word, the creative, intelligent power, in which everything had been created and which continuously held the Universe together.

Was there room for the creating Word?

We read: “He came to His own, but His own did not receive him. But to those who received him, he gave power to be God’s children – they who believe in His name. ”

Mary said, however: “… my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.” She gave room for the new groundbreaking Savior.

Edward Fuglø manages in a masterly way, in pictures and step by step, to provide space for the Message of Joy – both in the house and the heart. At the same time he illuminates the tension in the action, since the power of God comes down from on high with its innovative message. In the first picture, it appears that there is only room for the Message of Joy in a small barn among livestock. In the space above, the star continues to shine, also through the small window of the shed, and announces the new and divine reality. The rod and ladder stand on each side of the barn and symbolize the hope for a new way onward and up.

In the next picture, Joseph holds the rod in his hand, and stands with his arm around Mary’s shoulder, ready to lead his family through life – in harmony with his wife and his creator – for still the star shines from the high and leads the way. Mary and Joseph are surprised that the Almighty has settled among humans.

This is the admirable message of Christmas: that God’s giving and sacrificial love can be accommodated in the heart of every single human being.

Róland í Skorini

Thus ends the physician Luke’s account of Mary and Joseph’s fateful journey from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea, to be registered in the census which was commanded by the Emperor Augustus.

The Christmas Stamps, with Edward Fuglø’s symbolic motifs of the birth of Jesus, depict, together with the text, a deep human and existential reality – the longing for justice, peace and happiness in the journey of life, through an unjust, quarrelsome and unsafe world.

Luke stresses in the text that something new is about to happen, which there is no room for in human history, but which will change the history of the World. The room is not just the tangible shelter, but also the residence of the soul and spirit in the human mind.

Technical Details

Issue Date: 23.09.2013