CHRISTMAS EVE

December 24, 2008

the Rev. Ken Kroohs

(Isiah 9:2-7; Psalm 98; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20)

GOD LOVED US ENOUGH

St. Christopher's, High Point, NC

MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN



Merry Christmas!! .... A Baptist friend of mine once asked if Episcopalians ever gave an "amen" or "hallelujah" during a sermon. I told him that never happened but an occasional "Merry Christmas" was acceptable!



During the time leading up to Christmas, the season we call "Advent", I have been pondering the command from Isaiah and John the Baptist to "prepare the way of the Lord!"



The use of that in reference to John was to tell the Jewish listeners that the messiah was coming. It used Isaiah's words as a prediction of the messiah arrival. But even the Jewish people were not unanimously convinced of that meaning.



And even if we are convinced ---- John's teaching and ministry is 30 years after the first Christmas. ..... Which set me pondering about Christmas. I ponder a lot. Usually on the exercise bicycle. The tougher the pondering the faster the bike goes so it is a win-win.



My pondering discovered that Christmas is actually a fairly difficult holiday to explain.



I suspect that if most people were asked to define or explain Christmas in a religious sense they would say something about Jesus being born and coming into the world. Very true. And I suspect most people if asked to go deeper would speak about Jesus teachings, death and resurrection - maybe even get back to the virgin conception and then say something about how none of that was possible without His birth.



Not true. For example we do hear a bit about Moses' birth and King David's early years but generally scriptural figures arrived on the scene fully grown. We assume Paul, John, Titus, and Isaiah were conceived and born in the normal way - but its never mentioned. We guess about Paul's childhood from a few comments he makes and his educated language but scripture never mentions anything else.



Any questions about Christmas' importance are supported by the fact that Christmas was not celebrated for hundreds of years after Jesus' death and did not become fairly universal until just a few hundred years ago.



Furthermore we have no idea the date of Jesus' birth. December 25th is basically arbitrary. The only hint is that the shepherds apparently are near the town which strongly suggests the winter. In the summer they would have the flocks up in the hills - away from town.



Clearly the churches settled on December to provide an alternate to pagan and Roman holidays. December 21st is the day with the least sunlight of the entire year. This is known as the winter solstice and many pagans consider it a time when evil is particularly strong. One explanation is that a few days after the solstice was chosen to place the emphasis on the light growing in the world.



As I ponder all that, I am fascinated by how little scripture tells us. I assume what we are not told is not important. Jesus' earthly ministry began when he was about 30 years old. That means he had lived on the earth about 10,000 days before He began His primary ministry. Of those 10,000 days scripture mentions -- maybe 10. Probably fewer but no more than 10 our of 10,000. Apparently not very important time.



So why this focus on a birth? Theologians will tell you that the virgin birth is important to emphasize that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine .... another concept we humans cannot understand. Paul says more about this than anyone else but he says nothing about the birth, just that God became human.



The gospels of Mark and John never mention anything about the birth. They start with John the Baptist introducing Jesus as an adult -- which strikes me as a more sensible way to start. Why not have a fully grown Jesus walk in from the desert, teach, do miracles, be crucified and resurrected?



What would we lose from Christianity if we lost Christmas? ... The early church, and most of the historic church said we would lose "very little"



What would we lose? We could still talk about preparing ourselves for Jesus. We could still pick an arbitrary day and celebrate the adult Jesus walking into Jerusalem. What is this about a baby?



One wise guy I know said that Jesus' birth and childhood are God's full employment plan for theologians and novelists! That by leaving so much unknown it provided fuel for all those arguments.



Much though I like that idea of God with a sense of humor, I don't think that is right.



For one thing we also are never given a clear explanation for His crucifixion. You can get lots of strong opinions about why Jesus had to die in that manner but each one has opponents who provide another, reasonable and equally supportable explanation.



Which takes us back to my pondering. As the exercise bike slows down I conclude that one reason ... maybe not the only reason but one reason for Jesus birth, and later His crucifixion, is to tell us something important.



I don't believe, as some have argued, that Jesus became human so God could more clearly understand human beings. That suggests the all knowing God did not understand the very limited humans. No, I can't buy that one.



What I can accept is that Jesus went through the birth, growth, and death for our sake. I firmly believe God loves us enough to go to all that trouble for us. So I have to ask what we gain from it. God gained nothing directly -- what did we gain?



I offer to you an explanation. Not the only explanation and maybe not the primary explanation but I believe at least part of an explanation.



God became human so we know that God knows. Just as an alcoholic or drug addict will listen more to a person who has struggled with alcohol or drug problems because they know the other person understands. We can be confident that God understands. Not just in some theoretical, intellectual manner but because Jesus went through it.



Jesus grieved the loss of a father. Joseph died sometime during those missing 30 years.



Knowing even a little about the culture and society He lived in we can say with confidence that Jesus knew economic hardships, probably poverty. Probably unemployment. If Joseph was a carpenter than when there was a drought or low prices the farmers would not hire him.



Whether Jesus had any siblings die He certainly saw cousins and friends die much too young.



Remember the story when He turned away from His mother and family? Jesus knew family stress.



But Jesus did not just know the pain and suffering. Why do we only go to God when we are hurting? Jesus also saw the joy of a friend's child being born ... the excitement of a wedding .... the celebration when the harvest was good.



We are told that we can go to Jesus with our sorrows or our joys and He will understand. We can know that because of this first Christmas .... because God loves us enough to go to these extraordinary lengths -- just for us.



We can know that when we "prepare the way for the Lord" we are doing that not for Him, but for ourselves.



Our joy for Christmas is thanksgiving that God loved us enough to do all this, just for our benefit. With that joy in our hearts may we prepare the way for the Lord.





AMEN



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CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)