CHRISTMAS EVE 2007

We human beings are somewhat weird creatures. ..... I believe for example, we ask ourselves a certain question every day and probably more than once a day and yet don’t acknowledge the question.

When we leave home to go somewhere we ask ourselves which path to take. When we are cooking we ask what ingredients we should use. When we think about our relationship with other people we consider possible actions.

In all those cases and many more we essentially ask ourselves: Which is best?

But there is a more basic question and that is the one I meant when I say we ask ourselves the question but don’t notice we are asking. We ask ourselves, “What difference does it make?” Before we can decide on the best travel path, or cooking recipe, or relationship actions we ask ourselves: “What difference will it make?”

I suggest to you that is a great question to ask this Christmas. NOT, what difference will it make that I attended church on Christmas Eve — that’s another discussion! But rather, what difference does Christmas make? What difference does it make that Jesus was born into this world?

BUT, even more basic than that question, more foundation is the question: “Does it make any difference? Does it make any difference that Jesus was born into this world?”

What’s intriguing about THAT question is how often it has been asked over the past few years ---- again without people fully acknowledging that was the question being asked. When people ask: “What’s the difference between Islam, and Hindu, and Judaism, and Buddhism — and Christianity?” What they are really asking is, “What difference does it make that Jesus was born into this world?” .... What difference does Christmas make?

Notice .... I am not saying any of this from a judgmental position. I believe in what we say every Sunday, and am very relieved to say every Sunday that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. You see, that takes the whole judgement job away for me! In fact, it means that if I try to judge other people I am trying to push in front of Jesus — not a smart move to make! So I will let God judge the Moslems and Hindu’s, and Jews

And I know that by saying this I have, as I frequently do, annoyed people on both sides of the religious political spectrum! After all, the argument goes, doesn’t Islam respect Jesus as a prophet? Didn’t Gandhi say that he deeply respected Jesus’ teaching and only wished Christians followed those teachings? Don’t many Jews consider Jesus as one of the great rabbis of history?

All true. BUT — if anyone asks you what is the difference between those religions and Christianity you can answer in one word: Christmas. You see, Mohammad never claimed to be the son of God. Neither did Ghandi and the Jews are still waiting for a messiah.

The difference Christmas makes is that we acknowledge that God became a human being. Even in mythology you don’t find that. You find gods PRETENDING to be human. You occasionally find half god - half human like Hercules. But you never find a god BECOMING a human.

So point number one .... Christmas, Jesus being born into this world, does make a difference. It sets Christianity apart from all other religions.

THAT baby made a difference. The fact that baby was born makes a difference. ....... Amazing – a tiny, helpless baby makes a difference.

Point number two ---- after all being different from other religions is largely an intellectual issue, so the second central question is “what difference does it make?” I said it makes a difference that Jesus was born into this world and became human, but other than differentiating between religions, why does that matter?

That’s a much more difficult question. I am going to leave the “forgiveness of sin” portion of the answer until Good Friday and Easter when it becomes more central.

The centrality of Jesus’ death and resurrection acknowledged, I believe we under emphasize the importance of His birth. Usually when we talk about Christianity we focus on Jesus’ death and resurrection – as we should. And frequently Jesus’ birth is seen as only important because it makes His death possible!

But I have grown to believe there is more importance in His birth, in His becoming human than simply as a mechanism to die. First, let’s consider what John’s gospel says: God so loved the world. God so loved the world — no need to quote any further .... God so loved the world.

You see, I think to understand and appreciate why Jesus’ birth matters we have to consider why it happened. It was not an accident. It was not, as myths suggest, because God got bored and wanted some excitement. Jesus became human because God so loved the world. Jesus experienced a human life because God so loved the world.

OK ---- but why? And what difference does it make? .... See, I told you we ask that question a lot! I don’t believe it was because God needed to gain some information. Very early texts in the Old Testament, the Abraham stories for example, suggest that God needed to come to earth to learn about human beings. ...... Nah, I can’t go there. I don’t believe that. I believe God knows all about us. Frequently I believe God knows TOO much about me but that again is another conversation!

So let me suggest another explanation. And I cannot prove it so I am only offering it as an explanation. I suggest that God became human so WE would know that God knows about our lives. Not that we would know in an intellectual way, but in a more emotional way.

Example ..... have you ever been in a situation, probably when something bad has happened, and a person says to you: “I know exactly how you feel.” If so, you may have become appropriately angry because that person does NOT know exactly how you feel .......... unless ...... unless you know that person has been through the same situation. For example, if you spouse had died and their spouse had died than you understand they can know, at least some of what you feel. Or if you first child has just been born and someone with children says, “I remember how it feels to see that child the first time.” ..... you understand that they can know how you feel.

Well, Jesus went through most of what we have gone through. PLEASE UNDERSTAND, that I am speculating! But it is reasonable and logical. These assumptions are almost certainly true.

• Jesus grew up in a poor village with a father who ran a carpentry shop. So Jesus went through years when food was scarce.

• We can debate whether Jesus had brothers and sisters another time, but He certainly had cousins and knew children of friends. He watched them be born, played with them, and watched some of them die.

• By the time Jesus is 30 and begins His ministry, Joseph, His earthly father, is no longer mentioned so Jesus watched Joseph die and buried him.

• This part of the world was ruled by the Romans so Jesus experienced what it meant to be a subjected people.

• Scripture tells us that Jesus attended a wedding feast, certainly not His only one, so Jesus knew about celebrations and joy as well as sorrows.

Our God experienced life’s good and bad times. When we go to our God in prayer we are going confident that God knows what we are feeling. Not in some intellectual way, but in the deepest emotional way. At the end of His life Jesus demonstrates this most poignantly when He says on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus knew intellectually that God had not forsaken Him. But Jesus became human so WE would know that Jesus understands how it feels to believe God has forsaken us.

God so loved the world that Jesus would go through this life for us. .... for our benefit. God so loved the world that Jesus would go through this life to help us grow closer to God.

What are we willing to do to grow close to God?

Maybe there is another depth to our question. Maybe when we ask: “What difference does Christmas make?” we discover that question can only be answered by us — by our lives.

Christmas only makes a difference if God being willing to walk with us make a difference to us. Christmas only makes a difference if we allow it to make a difference.

God so loved the world.

AMEN

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