Christmas Eve sermon
Isaiah 9:2-7
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
"He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake; he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness' sake. You better not pout; you'd better not cry; you'd better not shout; I'm telling you why." Santa sometimes sounds like a very, scary guy. Now, don't get me wrong. I have it on good authority that Santa's a jolly, old elf, and there's nothing to really be afraid of. But during the Christmas season, when all around us we see pictures of Nativity scenes and jolly old Saint Nick, sometimes in the same displays, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that people get God and Santa Claus a little mixed up.
Sometimes, when we think of God, we picture an old man with a white beard, who watches us carefully at every moment of our lives. And we imagine that he has this list, but since he's God, he doesn't have to check it twice. He knows if we've been naughty or nice. And if we've been good, we get what we ask for, and if we're bad we get things we don't want. Of course, realizing that it's God and not Santa, we scale it up from coal in our stocking to sickness and natural disasters, or perhaps eternal punishment.
We're not alone in thinking this way. Not at all. Through the bible, we see prophets and faithful people struggling to understand God and the world around them. Jesus' own disciples had to face this problem. They saw a man who had been blind all his life, and they asked Jesus, "who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9) Because they believed that if bad things happen to you, it was because you were bad, or your parents had. Somehow, it was a punishment. The entire book of Job looks at this exact same belief people have been holding for millennia. Jesus, fully God and fully human at the same time, able to express God's word in a clearer fashion than God had ever been able to in dreams, prophets or burning bushes, tries to get his disciples to look at things in a different way. The blindness was not a punishment. But it was an opportunity for God to work in the world through people like us. Did the blindness have to happen for God to have an opportunity? No. And Jesus never really says why such suffering does happen. He just tells us some of the best ways for us to respond to the suffering we see.
We celebrate the birth of a baby, today. A baby we call Jesus, who grew up to see, and experience, a lot of suffering. He was born as a Jew. As we read in the words from the prophet Isaiah, the Jewish people were looking for their burden to be lifted, their oppression to be broken, and a kingdom established with justice and righteousness in which they could live forevermore. God had promised them this. When Jesus was born, Romans governed over the Jewish people and Roman soldiers enforced Roman law in their land. The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would be a warrior, then a mighty king, like David had been. They couldn't wait until they had political and military power and could live by and enforce God's laws. Maybe some of them dreamed of a time they could spread the borders of God's kingdom with powerful armies, teaching people to believe and behave right. And when everyone believed and behaved right, they would all get what they asked for from a God who strongly resembles Santa Claus.
Maybe no one at that time did hope to spread a conquering kingdom, but I know some Christians today do.
God is faithful, and does keep his promises. God is loving, and does want us to have what we need. God is also very hard to predict, and can manage to keep his promises and surprise everyone at the same time.
Instead of a warrior who would become a mighty king, Jesus grew up in the house of a carpenter, and became known as a rabbi. Instead of high ranking soldiers, aristocrats and church leaders attending his birth and showing his destiny to be among the great, a few shepherds were called to witness. Later on, some wise men came from a far off country. Jesus was to grow up amongst those of low status, the outcasts, and people not considered to be amongst God's chosen people and would have argued with the leaders of the church.
Instead of a military and political kingdom where God's chosen people could rule and govern themselves, Jesus taught how to live as a member of the kingdom of God, no matter what political, economic or other situation we might find ourselves in.
Santa is known for bringing gifts to those who are good, or at least good during the month of December. A number of Christians are also planning on shaping up in the last month of their lives in order to slip into Heaven as 'good enough'. Sudden and unexpected deaths to the side, God is not Santa Claus. God does not just give his gifts to the good. Everyone who lives was given the gift of life, undeserved. We have skills, abilities, resources, and communities that are free, unearned gifts. Jesus reminds his listeners that God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). And Paul, in his letter to Titus, reminds us that the grace of God has brought salvation to all.
But in the same passage, Paul says quite a few things about how God expects us to behave. Why be good if it's not going to get you gifts? Why not be bad, if you're not fearing punishment? I answer those questions with even more questions. If you've been given the gift of a beautiful singing voice, what happens if you never sing? What happens to that beautiful gift if you cheer yourself hoarse at a hockey game? If you've been given the gift of a wonderful community of friends, family and neighbours, what happens if you betray their trust or otherwise hurt them? If you get a gift under your tree this year, and leave it in a dusty corner of the basement, or in your garage where you'll accidentally drive over it, what are you left with?
Now, I'm not saying it's an all or nothing deal. If you cheer yourself hoarse one weekend, then take good care of your throat, you will likely be able to sing beautifully again. I am saying that you have been given the gift of eternal life, and now you get to choose how to live it. You can live in a life-building and life-giving way, setting aside fear, despair and hatred for love, hope and joy. That suffering I mentioned earlier? You can work at alleviating it in yourself, those around you, and the world. One day, in God's kingdom, all suffering shall be transformed into glory, and we might finally understand why things happened the way they have, instead of the way we'd wish. But until that day, we have been given the chance to work in God's kingdom, working towards that vision of glorious peace.
You may have many gifts given to you this Christmas, or maybe very few, but remember that from God, you have two of the most important gifts in the world. You have life, and the choice of how to live it.
Merry Christmas.
Psalm 96
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
"He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake; he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness' sake. You better not pout; you'd better not cry; you'd better not shout; I'm telling you why." Santa sometimes sounds like a very, scary guy. Now, don't get me wrong. I have it on good authority that Santa's a jolly, old elf, and there's nothing to really be afraid of. But during the Christmas season, when all around us we see pictures of Nativity scenes and jolly old Saint Nick, sometimes in the same displays, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that people get God and Santa Claus a little mixed up.
Sometimes, when we think of God, we picture an old man with a white beard, who watches us carefully at every moment of our lives. And we imagine that he has this list, but since he's God, he doesn't have to check it twice. He knows if we've been naughty or nice. And if we've been good, we get what we ask for, and if we're bad we get things we don't want. Of course, realizing that it's God and not Santa, we scale it up from coal in our stocking to sickness and natural disasters, or perhaps eternal punishment.
We're not alone in thinking this way. Not at all. Through the bible, we see prophets and faithful people struggling to understand God and the world around them. Jesus' own disciples had to face this problem. They saw a man who had been blind all his life, and they asked Jesus, "who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9) Because they believed that if bad things happen to you, it was because you were bad, or your parents had. Somehow, it was a punishment. The entire book of Job looks at this exact same belief people have been holding for millennia. Jesus, fully God and fully human at the same time, able to express God's word in a clearer fashion than God had ever been able to in dreams, prophets or burning bushes, tries to get his disciples to look at things in a different way. The blindness was not a punishment. But it was an opportunity for God to work in the world through people like us. Did the blindness have to happen for God to have an opportunity? No. And Jesus never really says why such suffering does happen. He just tells us some of the best ways for us to respond to the suffering we see.
We celebrate the birth of a baby, today. A baby we call Jesus, who grew up to see, and experience, a lot of suffering. He was born as a Jew. As we read in the words from the prophet Isaiah, the Jewish people were looking for their burden to be lifted, their oppression to be broken, and a kingdom established with justice and righteousness in which they could live forevermore. God had promised them this. When Jesus was born, Romans governed over the Jewish people and Roman soldiers enforced Roman law in their land. The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would be a warrior, then a mighty king, like David had been. They couldn't wait until they had political and military power and could live by and enforce God's laws. Maybe some of them dreamed of a time they could spread the borders of God's kingdom with powerful armies, teaching people to believe and behave right. And when everyone believed and behaved right, they would all get what they asked for from a God who strongly resembles Santa Claus.
Maybe no one at that time did hope to spread a conquering kingdom, but I know some Christians today do.
God is faithful, and does keep his promises. God is loving, and does want us to have what we need. God is also very hard to predict, and can manage to keep his promises and surprise everyone at the same time.
Instead of a warrior who would become a mighty king, Jesus grew up in the house of a carpenter, and became known as a rabbi. Instead of high ranking soldiers, aristocrats and church leaders attending his birth and showing his destiny to be among the great, a few shepherds were called to witness. Later on, some wise men came from a far off country. Jesus was to grow up amongst those of low status, the outcasts, and people not considered to be amongst God's chosen people and would have argued with the leaders of the church.
Instead of a military and political kingdom where God's chosen people could rule and govern themselves, Jesus taught how to live as a member of the kingdom of God, no matter what political, economic or other situation we might find ourselves in.
Santa is known for bringing gifts to those who are good, or at least good during the month of December. A number of Christians are also planning on shaping up in the last month of their lives in order to slip into Heaven as 'good enough'. Sudden and unexpected deaths to the side, God is not Santa Claus. God does not just give his gifts to the good. Everyone who lives was given the gift of life, undeserved. We have skills, abilities, resources, and communities that are free, unearned gifts. Jesus reminds his listeners that God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). And Paul, in his letter to Titus, reminds us that the grace of God has brought salvation to all.
But in the same passage, Paul says quite a few things about how God expects us to behave. Why be good if it's not going to get you gifts? Why not be bad, if you're not fearing punishment? I answer those questions with even more questions. If you've been given the gift of a beautiful singing voice, what happens if you never sing? What happens to that beautiful gift if you cheer yourself hoarse at a hockey game? If you've been given the gift of a wonderful community of friends, family and neighbours, what happens if you betray their trust or otherwise hurt them? If you get a gift under your tree this year, and leave it in a dusty corner of the basement, or in your garage where you'll accidentally drive over it, what are you left with?
Now, I'm not saying it's an all or nothing deal. If you cheer yourself hoarse one weekend, then take good care of your throat, you will likely be able to sing beautifully again. I am saying that you have been given the gift of eternal life, and now you get to choose how to live it. You can live in a life-building and life-giving way, setting aside fear, despair and hatred for love, hope and joy. That suffering I mentioned earlier? You can work at alleviating it in yourself, those around you, and the world. One day, in God's kingdom, all suffering shall be transformed into glory, and we might finally understand why things happened the way they have, instead of the way we'd wish. But until that day, we have been given the chance to work in God's kingdom, working towards that vision of glorious peace.
You may have many gifts given to you this Christmas, or maybe very few, but remember that from God, you have two of the most important gifts in the world. You have life, and the choice of how to live it.
Merry Christmas.