worship

  

The Difference is Christmas

Merry Christmas All God’s Children. How good it feels to join Christmas with the Sabbath. Thank you for coming to be in worship with us this Christmas day.

I am going to begin by telling you a story. (pp2) Something astonishing happened in a European forest during World War 2. It was late at night when American and German forces were engaged in battle. They had been engaged for over fifteen hours.

Each side was exhausted. The clocks turned to midnight and the gunfire momentarily ceased. As the smoke cleared, and quiet eclipsed the loud battle of moments before, a young German soldier began to sing Silent Night.

One by one, both the German and American soldiers joined in the singing of the famous carol. Why did it happen? Because, when the clock struck twelve that night, it was December 25th. It was Christmas. What happened next was impossible to believe unless you were one of the soldiers present.

Soldiers on both sides of the battle began to stand up, leaving their foxholes and hiding places. They put down their weapons and walked out into the open. Almost as if it had been planned, they walked up to each other and exchanged spontaneous gifts made up of the things they had in their pockets—cigarettes, candy bars, chewing gum, anything they had. No more fighting was seen that night. In broken English and fractured German, the soldiers (pp3) suspended the logic of war, replaced by the love of Christmas.

The difference that night was Christmas. (pp4) And what makes Christmas different was a seven pound bundle of God, who burst into the physical world, known as Jesus.

Our Gospel reading from John, unlike the other Gospels, begins not in story but in song. The first 18 verses of John are known traditionally as the Prologue to John and consists of a hymn to the Word of God becoming flesh (verse 14). Details about John the Baptist are interspersed throughout this hymn, but the primary purpose of John 1:1-18 is hymnic celebration of the grace that believers have received from God through Jesus.

Truly, what we commemorate today threw the world on its ear and will continue to throw the world on its ear for the rest of time.

When God decided to come to earth in the form of a human being, God blasted to bits the logic by which this world has always functioned.

As a marketing person I can’t help but envision a board room in heaven, complete with pitch men (or women) helping God decide how to enter anew into creation. Certainly they would discuss what the outcomes might have been had it been handled differently.

I can see it now. “God, how bout you send a heavenly army to force everyone into line? That’ll get their attention” Exactly, says another “Or send a summary judgment sentencing them to hell.” Can you imagine God’s face and reaction? “No. That’s not the message I want to send. Remember my children might not get the big picture, so we have to be really bold, loving and creative. I’m thinking I should come down—in the form of a baby.

And so it was.

What a message of humility that the God of creation would choose birth in an illogical place—a cattle stall.

Then of course there was Herod’s board room. The child who was born in Bethlehem represented a drastic political challenge to the imperial power of Rome. The Gospel of Matthew builds its narrative around Herod’s determination to kill the baby. In order to preempt any challenge from the rumored newborn “king of the Jews” Herod thought it made sense to murder all the male children who were 2 years old or younger. Tactically unconscionable, but that is what the man did.

Meanwhile in heaven, the angels have to get a message to Joseph. Dreams are good! They warn Joseph in a dream, and he pays attention, (pp5) removes Mary and the yet unborn Jesus from the city and Herod’s reach.

That means that right from his birth, the baby Jesus was marked as a political fugitive. Joseph and Mary weren’t on a magical mystery tour to Bethlehem, they were fleeing the scene. In the midst of incredible evil, political and social tension, the difference was Christmas. God sprung forth, puncturing the dark night with the light of a savior’s birth.

And as the Christ child grew towards his time of public ministry, he continued NOT to do the logical things. He challenged everyone around him. He stirred the beans. He shook things up. People paid attention then. We should pay attention now. Santa Claus ain’t got nothing on this.

(pp6) The difference is Christmas. Even if this were not the story of God incarnate in the person of Jesus, the story is full of wonder and intrigue. So what are we to do with Christmas, with Jesus?

Here we are in 2005, almost 2006- we’ve seen heartbreaking headlines this year: (pp7)Hurricane Katrina The death of Pope John Paul (pp8) Kashmir Earthquake kills 80,000 (pp9) Branjolina Supreme Court replaces Sandra Day O’Connor and William Renquist Congress cutting benefits to the poor I remind us of these things because I think it is only by facing the reality of the world that we can connect with the deepest hope of Christmas. (pp10)In Jesus Christ, God has given us a living hope with which to meet the darkness: hope that is based on the assurance we see that God’s intention for humanity is for love and not hate; for kindness and not cruelty; for life and not death. Jesus’ birth, life and death have inspired millions. The greatest response any of us can have to the Christmas miracle is the dedication to follow yonder star towards our own Bethlehem of service and sacrifice. This week I received an email with an advent reflection from activist Christa Mazzone. She said, “Without taking action, I could not celebrate with integrity the birth of Jesus Christ, who said, ‘Just as you did it to one of the least of these...you did it to me'" (Matthew 25:40), and whose first words in his public ministry were, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because I have been anointed to bring good news to the poor’ (Luke 4:18). (pp11)Christa said, “Like Mary, I strive to be one who ‘believed that what the Lord said to her will be accomplished.’ I believe the peace and justice celebrated in Christmas really are possible.” Again, the difference is Christmas. (pp12) Many people interpret following Christ as a responsibility to be agents of social change, and by doing so they will help usher in God's reign, a reign that recognizes the dignity and rights of all of God's people. Being agents of social change doesn’t have to occur with grandiosity. You’re a change agent just attending this church! Our sign “ALL GOD’S CHILDREN mcc” is a major statement! The birth of Jesus fulfilled the law, replacing a gospel of sacrifice and retribution with a gospel of love, forgiveness and service. The availability of this kind of extraordinary relationship with God, came into the world on Christmas Day.

The difference was Christmas. Christmas changed everything.

So has the difference of Christmas arrived at your house yet? Have you accepted the blessing of the Christ child and has it been made manifest in your life? Will we allow the celebration of Christmas to change us? By now most of you have opened countless gifts. But are you ready to take hold of the baby? That’s the real gift this season.

God wants a more intimate relationship with us. God pursues us and God loves us, enough to have come down in the form of a little child, seven to eight pounds of pure love and grace. Alleluia. Talk about an attention getter!

(pp13)My Christmas wish to us all is that we take hold of the baby, let the love wash over us and through us… and as a result of our conscious receiving of the blessing of Christmas, be forever changed, willing to follow yonder star towards our own Bethlehem of service.

The difference is Christmas.

Amen.