Re-Gifting Christmas: God Is With Us
December 25, 2016
Rev. Thomas Harper
Isaiah 1:14
John 1:14
Dr. Pace: We have two Scripture lessons today from Isaiah and the Gospel of John so would you follow along and listen as we hear the Scripture read this morning.
Rev. Bill Denham: The first reading from the Old Testament, from Isaiah 7:14.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14 NRSV)
Then from the New Testament:
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 1:14)
Would you join me in prayer, please. Loving and eternal God, O my! What a morning! We are both giddy with excitement and awed to the core of our being at the birth of your son. Many of us have known the thrill of holding a newborn infant in our arms, our hearts beating faster because we didn’t want to drop so fragile a creature. We remember looking in amazement at those tiny fingers and hearing those little gurgles of new life. And today as we stand in the stable of Bethlehem peering over the shoulders of the shepherds, we’re experiencing once again the miracle of birth and the miracle of miracles, the birth of your son Jesus the Christ. The Alpha and the Omega. The Lord of Lords. The King of Kings. Emmanuel.
Help us in this hour to ponder with Mary and understand anew that your son came for all people. The ill, the suffering, the dying, the frightened, the depressed, the hungry, the haughty, the forgotten, and all those who do not know or believe in your redeeming love. Empower us to live out your holy and healing message of grace and ever lasting love. And we ask these things even as we pray together the prayer your son, the babe of Bethlehem taught his disciples to pray by saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses us as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Rev. Thomas Harper:
Good morning! Just to give you a bit of a context on why I was compelled to possibly prank Tom this morning. Last April on my day off, I get a text message from Dr. Pace that says, “I just spoke with the Bishop and you are being reappointed to a small church in New Hampshire. April Fool’s!”
So it’s comin’!
Good morning. My name is Thomas Harper, I’m an associate pastor at St. Luke’s and from all of us here to all of you and your loved ones, Merry Christmas!
Because this is Christmas I thought it would be a good idea to start off with a little joke. So when I was preparing my sermon I did what any good pastor would do. I Google-searched “Clean Christmas jokes for church.” And I found this story that made me smile. It’s called “Desperate Measures.”
Little Johnny came running up to his mother one morning and said, “I demand that you get me a bicycle this Christmas!” Johnny’s mother saw this as a great opportunity to have Johnny reflect on the type of boy he had been in the past year. So she sat him down and said, “Johnny, because this is Christmas and because we don’t have the money to just get you whatever we want, why don’t you ask Jesus and pray for a bicycle.”
After little Johnny’s temper tantrum was over, he went upstairs and sat down and began to write his letter to Jesus. “Dear Jesus, I’ve been a good boy this year. Signed, your friend, Little Johnny. Can I please have a bicycle for Christmas?”
Well, Johnny knew that Jesus knew the type of boy he really was, so he decided to crumple up the letter and start again. “Dear Jesus, I’ve been an okay boy this year. But I really, really want a bicycle. Your friend, Little Johnny.”
Johnny thought about it and realized that that wasn’t completely true either. So little Johnny tried one more time to get it just right. “Dear Jesus, I wanted to be a good boy this year. Can I please, please, have a bicycle?”
And as Johnny sat with that letter to Jesus he began to look deep down inside his heart, which I’m sure is what his mother wanted him to do in the first place. And he realized that that really wasn’t true either. So Johnny gave up. He tore up the letter and walked outside. And as he was walking around the neighborhood he began to reflect deeply about the type of boy he had been over the past year. He began to regret the way he had treated his mother and father and sister.
And little Johnny thought that given the chance, that he would be a better boy in the New Year. Well, it just so happened that little Johnny made his way in front of a Catholic church and decided to go on in. There he knelt down and started to pray. Then he got up and on his way out there were a bunch of those little Mary statues that they were giving way. So Johnny took one of those and headed on home.
Johnny went all the way home and straight upstairs, he took that Mary statue and hid it under the pillow, and decided to sit down and write one final letter to Jesus. “Dear Jesus, I have broken nearly every single one of your commandments. I’ve shot spit wads at school, I’ve torn the heads off my sister’s Barbie dolls, and I am desperate. So I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart. I’ve got your mother and if you don’t give me a bicycle, you’re never going to see her again. Signed, you know who.”
Our sermon this morning is entitled “God Is With Us.” Pray with me. Father God, I thank you for what this day means for all of us. We have gathered to lay our presents of love and worship down at your feet. God, I ask you that you might speak through me or, in spite of me so that we might receive a word from you today. Jesus, we want to gather round you again and hear that story, that story of how you crossed immeasurable distances just so that we could know and love you. In your name we pray. Amen.
So what makes Christmas Christmas for you? Is it the first time people start putting up lights in your neighborhood? Or perhaps the first time you see Santa in the mall? Or maybe the Christmas season kicks off for you when eggnog starts to show up next to the milk in the dairy section. Love some eggnog!
I’ll tell you that when I was a kid Christmas season did not officially kick off till I had received and consumed my first candy cane.
Another way that we often times associate things with Christmas is through great holiday Christmas movies. So let me ask you – what is your very favorite Christmas movie? You know that Christmas movie that you grew up watching as a kid? And that if you find yourselves at the end of December not having watched it Christmas just isn’t quite the same.
Is it “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”? Or maybe “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Maybe you’re a “Miracle on 34th Street” kind of person. Or maybe just maybe your favorite all time Christmas movie is “Diehard.” Anyone want to ask what the all time grossing Christmas movie is? “Home Alone.” That’s right – good job. “Home Alone.”
So the movie that I have to be sure and watch before every Christmas has come to an end is “A Christmas Carol” – specifically the 1984 George C. Scott made for TV version. Trust me - that one by far is the best version. You see, I love a good Christmas story because the best stories are the ones that reveal some truth about the world and about how God works and moves within it.
They’re the stories that reveal a truth about our own selves that we may not have known existed. And they draw us closer to the creator. That’s why I think these Christmas stories stay with us, because the very best secular stories capture a spark of the divine. And they communicate something in our souls that even on a subconscious level we associate with sacred.
So the eternal Christmas story goes something like this.
“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.” For God so loved us that he came here just to be with us. God is with us.
So in honor of my favorite Christmas movie, I thought today we’d look at what “God with us” means for our past, our present, and our future.
A little over 2000 years ago, in a not-so-distant past, in a discrete town called Bethlehem, Jesus was born. The all-powerful, all knowing God of the universe shows up as a helpless little child in a simple manger. Mike Slaughter in his book Down to Earth argues that it is the Incarnation and not the resurrection that has had the biggest impact on our faith throughout the years. He says, “I believe the greatest miracle of all time was Jesus’ birth. God Almighty, willingly choosing to become God Incarnate. God in the flesh. The Lord of the universe as a vulnerable baby. Entered into the struggles of human kind at a tumultuous time and in a non-descript place.”
You see, it’s rather scandalous of us to imagine that God who can do whatever God wants to do, of course would choose to arrive as something as vulnerable and dependent on others as possibly the most vulnerable creature on the planet - a human baby.
Have you ever been around an infant child before? They can’t do anything on their own. I mean horses and cows are able to walk within hours of being born and it takes us maybe 13 months to figure it out? So why in the world would God choose to arrive as something that is so dependent on broken fallen creation for its own life?
My friends that says something profound to us about the heart of God and how God desires to be in relationship with us. God wants intimate relationship with God’s creation. Not just a world filled with submissive believers, bowing their heads and worshipping. If that’s all God wanted then I bet Jesus would have shown up in a very different way.
No, God wants you, God wants your heart, and when you strip everything away, in the end, what you want is God. We were created for the very purpose of knowing and loving the Father. All the gifts in the world, every joy, every happiness that either points us towards loving God better, and those things are enriched by the closeness that it brings us with God. Or those things are misappropriated, misused and it pulls us away from the Father. Then those things leave us empty and unsatisfied.
I recently watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas” which just happens to be my wife’s favorite Christmas movie. And watching it as an adult I couldn’t help but see the warnings that were all over it about being careful against consumerism and materialism. And making sure we keep the “reason for the season” alive in our hearts.
And as I watched I couldn’t help but think about how true that might be for our context today. When I think of the controversy about the color of Starbucks cups, and Black Friday door buster blowouts. I think there is a danger of us getting distracted by the twinkling lights of consumerism during Christmas.
But gifts in and of themselves are not necessarily a bad thing. Nor should we feel guilty about giving and receiving presents at Christmas. Because at its best a gift builds intimacy between the giver and the receiver, and strengthens that relationship in a way that mirrors God’s relationship with us as he lavishes such great gifts upon us. So the ghost of Christmas past reminds us that ultimately real eternal joy comes from knowing and loving God, not just in things.
I recently read something on Facebook that said “As we get older and older our wish list gets smaller and smaller because we realize that what we really want cannot be bought. It’s already been paid for in Jesus.”
So “God with us” means that that little baby in the manger means you need not be defined by your past anymore. You are known by Christ’s redemption. That’s the reason for the season. God wants you and you want God.
So what does the ghost of Christmas present teach us about God with us? All throughout history we see examples of the creator partnering with creation in order to bring about his will. From the Garden of Eden, to Noah and the Ark, to the people of Israel and the life of Jesus. All the way to the church today. God works with human hands to bring about God’s great purposes.
Now that can be a little dangerous and that can get a little messy sometimes, but once again I think that reveals God’s desire to be in an authentic relationship with us.
Let me give you an example. So, if I had decided to wrestle with my 2 year old daughter Sophia, and I used all the strength that 34 years of life have given me when we’re playing together well, that time isn’t going to last very long. But no, because I love my daughter, because I want to spend time with her, I get down on her level. I get down on my knees, I let her tackle me and we roll around and we play and I limit my strength and power so that our relationship can grow. That’s what God does with us, my friends. God limits his power so we can participate in the work that God is doing in our lives and in the world. God has gotten down on our level when he became flesh and dwelled among us.
Our sermon series over Advent was “Re-gifting Christmas.” And the series assumes three principles: First, the very best things in this world cannot be bought, sold or taken by force. As the ghost of Christmas past just reminded us, no, the most important things are gifts that are freely given to us. Things like love, joy, peace, and hope. These are God’s eternal presence to us that we then re-gift to others.
Second, you cannot re-gift something that you do not already have or that you have not received. So if there is no joy, or love in my heart then I’m going to find it nearly impossible to re-gift authentic hope or joy or love to others.
And finally, these gifts are by their design intended to be shared with others. I think a lot of times we think of re-gifting as a negative thing, but no, the gifts of Advent are exactly the opposite. They are one way that we can partner in the work that God is doing this Christmas season. When we are filled with the love of Christ, we should be compelled to love others more. When I have the simple peace that my identity is in Jesus Christ, then it should be easy for me to share that peace with others.
So the ghost of Christmas present reminds us that that joy that we see and find in knowing and loving God that is intended to be shared with others. When we share God’s love and Christ’s hope with others we don’t lose these things, they are magnified amongst us. When we re-gift Christmas we are joining in the work that God is doing today for the transformation of this world.
Finally, what does “God with us” have to say about the ghost of Christmas future? At the very heart of Christmas is anticipation and excitement. I remember growing up when I’d spy out the presents underneath the tree as the days led up to Christmas. And I’d wonder what was inside them. And I would hope that the big ones would end up having my name on them come Christmas morning.
This has been a special Christmas for me. As Dr. Pace said, my wife and I are expecting our second daughter really any day now. We were afraid we weren’t going to make it here. People over the last several months have come up to me and asked me if our first daughter Sophia has any idea what is about to happen to her world when baby sister gets here. Does she have any clue about how things are going to be turned upside down when she’s not the only one in the house anymore?
I like to tell them that, you know, I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around how things are going to change when we go from one daughter to two in our household. Big change can be very scary sometimes. And if I’m being honest with you, I’ve spent some of this Christmas season kind of working through some of my fears about 2017. Maybe you have some of that, too. Maybe you have some anxiety about what the New Year and the years to come will bring.
Well, even though we don’t know the future and I don’t know what life is going to be like in 2017 specifically, I remember back to the unexpected joy that I felt when our first daughter was born. It was like getting a gift on Christmas morning that I didn’t fully understand, that I didn’t fully realize how much I wanted till I had it. I found in my daughter a love within me that I didn’t even know was possible or existed. And in many ways that has strengthened just a little glimpse of Christ’s love for me and my understanding of that.
And so, my friends, this is why I’m excited about our future with God, to think that there are joys and that there are levels of love that we don’t even know about yet. There are things in our life that we haven’t even experienced yet with God. God knows the very depth of our hearts, even more than we can possibly understand.
So God with us says that one day all of our desires, all of our needs, all of our deepest heart’s longings will be met in Jesus. You see, the ghost of Christmas future reminds us that the very best is yet to come. How things are today are not how they always shall be. And so Emmanuel is a story for all time and it will be retold and it will be shared every single Christmas until that glorious day when the veil has been completely removed.
True joy comes from knowing and loving God. Your past is not what defines you. That child who came, lived and died and was resurrected - that is your identity. When we receive the joy of knowing God we are compelled to share that with others and join in the work that God, is doing in the world. And when it comes to joy, my friends, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
So on this Christmas and in the days, and months, and years to come, may you follow Ebenezer Scrooge’s example and keep Christmas well as you live fully into the joy of your redemption.
Let’s pray. Hail to you King. Lord Jesus I thank you that you are God but you also desire authentic relationship with us. As we grasp to even comprehend what that means, Lord, we just say thank you and we love you. Merry Christmas. Amen.