I preached this sermon at the Christmas Chapel Services (three in a row) of Tamagawa Academy High School on December 22nd. Then on December 24th I preached it again at Tokyo Life Church, and then in the afternoon I preached it one more time at the Isesaki Covenant Church. Tamagawa Academy chose the text and I always find it challenging to preach these highly familiar texts without falling into the ever so tempting cliches of the season.
Luke 2:6-14
Today we have read from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2. This passage is the biblical account of the greatest event in the history of humankind; the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. And yet what we read is not by any means the full story and it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. “While they were there” Who was there? In this case that is easy to answer just by reading from a little earlier in the chapter. It was Mary and Joseph. They were in Bethlehem, even though that was not where they lived. Nazareth was their home. They were in Bethlehem for political reasons… required by the government to go to be counted. How many of you live in your father’s original home? So, when the government decided to take a census they required everyone to return to the home town of the householder. Lots of people on the move! Can you imagine what it would be like if they tried that in Japan today? But as you know from history classes, there were times when the government here in Japan strictly controlled where people lived and where they traveled. Even though it’s the only thing we know, the freedom to travel and live wherever you want is a relatively new thing in this country. Getting back to the story though, Joseph and Mary were forced to go to Bethlehem, and the timing couldn’t have been worse. “the time came for the baby to be born,” Mary was pregnant? (yes) How has the pregnancy gone so far? (We don’t know, other than having to make a very long trip on a donkey near the end) Who’s the father? (it’s complicated) Are they married? This is where the story gets awkward… No one wants to get stuck in awkward situations, but in reality, there are always awkward things that happen in life. It can’t be avoided. Joseph and Mary’s story was supremely awkward. They were engaged, but then Mary got pregnant. The hard part was that Joseph knew it wasn’t his baby. Mary explained the vision she had seen, in which an angel told her she would miraculously become pregnant… But who would believe that? Fortunately, Joseph did… but things were still really awkward. and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” How did the birth go? (we don’t really know, but the baby and mother were OK) Who was there? (nobody knows!) Would she have more kids? (yes, but there is almost no information about that) The lack of details continues. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Perhaps the cloth thing was a cultural thing… maybe that’s how they dressed little kids. Maybe simple cloths were what they used for baby clothes. But then again, if that was really the case, don’t you think the translators would just translate it as “baby clothes”? But they don’t! It sounds more like they didn’t have normal baby clothes so they just grabbed whatever they could find, and in this case it was some cloths… like some rags or towels or whatever. Which is odd, because baby clothes are the one thing almost all pregnant women receive as gifts. After all, baby clothes rarely wear out. You see, the baby grows so fast that the clothes become too small long before they get old or worn out. So then everyone ends up with baby clothes that don’t fit their baby any more… and passes them on to someone else. That’s why almost everyone has baby clothes given to them before their baby is born. It’s the same with baby beds and car seats for babies. But Mary and Joseph didn’t have baby clothes… why? Remember, their situation was complicated! The journey… the awkwardness… no shower… no big announcement… And then the manger thing… now seen as a lovely aesthetic, but in reality this was just barely one step above sleeping on the street in a cardboard box. Or maybe not… if you offered a barn to homeless folks, I would imagine most of them would say, “No thank you”. Even so, it might not be that bad if it was just for one night; except for the fact that Mary was having a baby! It might have just been because of the big event and no system for making reservations in advance back then… but the point is that it was terribly unfortunate, inconvenient, risky, and probably uncomfortable. (smelly)
Then we get another glimpse of what happened that night, but this time from a completely different perspective. It’s about a scene that some shepherds saw in the middle of the night, in the fields. It isn’t the sort of story people could easily believe if they shared it. It probably seemed far more likely that they had had a few too many drinks that night… This great choir of angels they reported seeing didn’t appear during the day? Why not? Angels aren’t like fireworks or fireflies… And they didn’t appear in a place where the majority of the residents could see them; no, they only appeared to a small band of shepherds out in the fields during the middle of the night. And yet, this is the perspective we are given in scripture.
Yes, the story is truncated and told from an odd perspective… And yet, at this time of the year, in churches around the world, these words are held up; not just as some famous old story… not as the mythical beginning of a long-held tradition… but as truth! Truth that stands the test of time. Truth that applies to everyone. Truth that has the power to shape people’s lives. Truth that focuses the history of humanity. Of course, truth is a difficult thing to grasp. The same truth can look and feel different to different people because of differing perspectives. But nevertheless, we hold the events of Christmas in our hearts as truth. Hear the truth as proclaimed by the choir of angels… “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” I think there are at least five things that stand out in this announcement of truth: The news is good, great in fact… and is for all people! A savior has been sent to you; a messiah. The messiah comes in the form of an infant… a newborn baby. This event reveals God’s glory This event is a message of peace to the people That is the message of Christmas; a message that remains unchanged; a message that still has the power to shape our hearts.
I’m not sure what this story means to each one of you today. I don’t know what Christmas means to you either. But since we all come from different situations and have different perspectives, I think it’s OK if we don’t all have exactly the same understanding of Christmas. But I promise you, whoever you are, and whatever your perspective is, there is something very meaningful for you in Christmas. After all, it’s about the truth. The truth that something wonderful happened some 2,000 years ago that was a gift for all of humanity. The truth that a savior came to earth to save us from the things that we can’t save ourselves from. The truth that this savior came in the most humble and weak of forms… a little baby. The truth that somehow, the glory of God is revealed in this event. And the truth that this is a message of peace for all people. I pray that you will have a meaningful Christmas this year and that the truth of the Christmas message will touch your heart. Amen
Speaking the Word 