“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1 – 14

“The light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” I love the confident note of hope this verse sounds. One the one hand, it is the declaration of a state of fact: light is stronger than darkness. At the same time, it is also a promise: even when it seems otherwise – and even the briefest scan of the headlines can make it seem otherwise – yet the light continues to shine and the darkness has neither overcome nor understood it. There is an active, even tensive quality to this verse that strikes me as accurately capturing the life of faith. We live confident of the promise that light is stronger than darkness, love stronger than hate, and life stronger than death. Yet not only that is not always apparent in the meantime, but even when we believe it most confidently that doesn’t lessen the amount of struggle a faithful life entails. Christmas reminds us of God’s decision to become one of us, to take on our lot and our life that we might have hope, and to share our mortal life that we might enjoy God’s eternal life. This is not merely a season of celebration, it is a promise that requires our active participation every day of the year. Our lives matter to God.” (David Lose, Dear Working Preacher, Christmas Continued, December 30, 2014)

What are the different ways G-d could come to this world? G-d could have come in the manner that Ezekiel left this world – on a flaming chariot suddenly appearing in the heavens, surrounded by clouds and a multitude of other chariots leading, guiding, heralding his coming. Or, he could have appeared on something like a television, a large screen suddenly appearing in the heavens for everyone to see. He could have come in a mighty wind, everyone having to avert their eyes until it calms down, and there stands Jesus in his full glory. None of these would do. G-d determined to come like every other child comes to this earth – through the birth canal. It is not the ordinary way a king announces his reign – but Jesus is not ordinary King.

“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.” (Luke 2:10 – 12)

He could have come on a fiery chariot, but instead he came to set the world on fire with love, mercy and grace. I know when terrible things happen, we experience what I call “manger moments”, you know, moments where we feel that G-d is telling us that there is no room for us. But what Christmas should always remind us is that G-d is not transcendent – G-d is not “out there somewhere”, out of our reach — nor are we out of G-d’s thoughts. G-d broke through the barrier of distance and space and came to us as a baby, in a manger – and remained with us, growing strong, breathing air, walking this earth, sharing G-d’s love. And when Jesus left this earth, he did not leave us empty-handed. Jesus remains with us, in the Word we share, in the bread and wine of communion, and in the church – Jesus is with all of us tonight whom celebrate the birth of Christ. It is appropriate that the tradition of the Christmas celebration is filled with watching people we love open gifts – because Christmas is itself a gift – G-d gifted G-d’s self to all of humanity – so that in the good times and the bad, in the joy and in the fear, we can experience this gift again and again through the many means of Grace. This is the gift we celebrate today.

Pastor Dave

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶ And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”    (Luke 1:30-38)

“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.” (Luke 2:1 – 7)

There was no place in the Inn, but that does not mean that Mary and Joseph were relegated to a cave, or someplace out in the barren lands outside of town as contemporary art would suggest. Joseph was returning to his hometown region. He would have been known by the people. Mary was “heavy with child” – a pregnant woman was not someone the locals would have abandoned to a lonely birth, without assistance, in a cave. Most likely Mary and Joseph were ushered into an adjacent room in someone’s home. There were adjacent rooms used by animals when the wintertime came. The animals were not relegated to the outdoors, they were moved inside so they could help with warmth, and where they were protected from the elements, and from predators. Why would we assume that if the animals were treated with care, that Mary and Joseph were not also treated with care? Jesus was still born surrounded by animals, away from their home, born into the earthy, human condition we are all born into. No matter the situation in which Jesus was born, the spectacular event is marked in time and celebrated once a year – the spectacular event of G-d coming to be with humans, in the human condition. He did not come in the manner of a king, or a prince, or like some other royalty – he was born into everyday life, to everyday parents, to live an everyday life.

Grace, favor and G-d doing the improbable – this is what the birth of Jesus is about. This Christmas season I want you to ponder these final words of Mary: “Let it be with me Lord, according to your word”. How can you and I live that statement everyday of our lives. Many people in our society suffer from “Me-ology” – “Me-itis”.  Does Mary tell the angel: “Lord, this really does not sit well with my schedule; I will think about it and get back to you later.”  Does she put herself first?  No – instead she says “Let it be with me Lord according to your word.”  That means that she is all in – no matter what this endeavor brings. It requires a personal willingness to be open to G-d – open to G-d’s word, G-d’s will, G-d’s grace, G-d’s calling – open to our G-d doing the improbable and the impossible in our lives – even when it is inconvenient – especially when it interrupts our plans. But as they say, if you want to make G-d laugh, tell him your plans. Every day we should strive to live by these words: “Let it be with me Lord, according to YOUR will.”

Pastor Dave