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Christmas Isaiah 9:2-7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Gospel according to Luke 2:1-20 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OK, it’s over. It’s over.
It’s over! I hereby declare that the cultural Christmas season, which has little or nothing to do with Jesus, is closed. It’s over. It’s over. Take a deep breath. Hold it. Breathe out. It’s over. So now maybe we can talk about the other Christmas season, the one that starts today, the one that is all about Jesus. You see, I think we have to declare the cultural Christmas closed, and take a deep breath and purge ourselves of it, before we can begin to celebrate the Church’s Christmas season. These seasons are so different. But I have to tell you right off the bat, the cultural Christmas season is a lot sweeter, and more "feel good," and more sentimental. The music, the decorations, the cards, the Santas in malls, the decorated houses with lighted reindeer with moving heads, none of it has much to do with Jesus, but it’s fun and it feels good. When you go into a mall, it really is like entering a carefully crafted Christmas cocoon. Everything is perfect. A climate controlled, though controlled environment. There’s no reference to Jesus, but it feels like a temple to our nicer feelings: "peace on earth, goodwill toward men." "Get in the ‘Christmas spirit,’ and buy lots of presents!" But outside the climate-controlled, carefully crafted cocoon, is the real world. It is often cold and painful. It’s a world where people hurt each other. It’s a world where we sing of peace, but are at war. It’s a world where this night, many people are trying to stay warm under bridges. It’s a world where the Christmas season evokes pain for many people: memories of those who are not home for Christmas, memories of those who never will be. Outside the climate-controlled, carefully crafted cocoon, is the world in which Emmanuel Christian lived — for a day or two, before someone murdered him and burned his infant body and left it for sanitation workers to find. We held a funeral service here for him on December 4th. Outside the climate-controlled, carefully crafted cocoon, babies get murdered, and right here, we had a heartbreakingly small coffin. The Bible is very, very clear as to the nature of the world Jesus came into. He’s born in a stable. Sure, there was no room at the inn, but Bethlehem was Joseph’s hometown. No family, no friends to take him in? When we served as a shelter for evacuees during the chemical release last week, lots of people got on the phone and called someone to come pick them up and put them up. In his hometown, didn’t Joseph have anyone to call? Many scholars think that the reason Jesus was born in a manger was not just because there was no room in the inn. It was also because when Joseph showed up with his pregnant girlfriend, his family and friends shunned him. We can’t know for sure, but that’s certainly consistent with the kind of world Jesus was born into. While Jesus was still a baby, his family had to flee to Egypt because King Herod, who knew Jesus was a threat, ordered that all the children in Bethlehem two years old or under be murdered. And they were. (Bet you haven’t heard that part of the story at the mall.) All those babies, murdered. The world Emmanuel Christian was born into is the world Jesus was born into — a world in which children are murdered. (His name is Emmanuel Christian, by the way, because Margaret Freeman of Hannah Angel Center named him that before we buried him. We were approaching the time when Jesus would be born into this world, and it seemed appropriate to name the murdered baby Emmanuel, which, of course, means "God with us.") So, do you think I’m a hypocrite? I mean, here I am, probably seriously bumming you out about how painful and fractured the world is (I mean, this doesn’t sound like a feel good sermon for a celebration), and yet I’ve been throwing my head back and singing my little heart out and celebrating Christmas to beat the band. Is it just hypocrisy? Is it appropriate to talk about the mournful, bummer topic of how broken and painful the world is when we’re celebrating Christ’s birth with this big party? Or would it be better if we just shut up about that unpleasant stuff and go with the cultural flow of Christmas in a world of sweetness and light? In many ways, the question is, "Do you want to celebrate Christmas at Church or at the mall?" That might sound like a silly question, but it isn’t. Many, many Americans — many, many Christians — when it comes right down to it, really do celebrate Christmas in the pretend world of the mall. Well, you’re here tonight to decide for yourself. But think of your life, your world —your joys, yes! — but also your world in which people hurt each other and people are shunned and war rages and babies are murdered, your private world of heartaches, and disappointments, and losses. And then ask yourself: "Do I want to celebrate a God who comes to the climate-controlled, carefully crafted cocoon of our cultural celebration of Christmas, or do I want to come here to celebrate God who is really with the real us, caring for us, loving us, sharing our pain, using us to love others, showing us that there is redemption even in the heartache? Do I want to celebrate the Christ who does not still the storm of life, but, mysteriously, gives us the peace of God which becomes our anchor in the storm? Do I want to come here to celebrate God who is Emmanuel, in —yes — even in Emmanuel Christian’s world? You make up your own mind. But as for me, I’m here, and I’m singin’! The Rev. James H. Pritchett, Jr St. John’s Episcopal Church, College Park, GA
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