Scripture for Christmas Eve

Luke 2:1-20  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

  And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Message for Christmas Eve 2006

          In looking over what to do this year for a message, I found all the perspectives that I had preached from during the past 8 Christmases.   There is a great cast of characters in this scene; even just in these twenty verses of scripture.  We have Mary & Joseph of course  and the baby Jesus.  The angel and the multitude of the heavenly host, Caesar Augustus, and the shepherds.

          There are those whom we have come to perceive that are not mentioned.  There was no innkeeper in the Bible.  There was no donkey that anyone rode to Bethlehem on.  Why, even Kelsey who played Mary in the play told me that Mary rode to Bethlehem on a camel and according to the Bible, she very well might have.  But that would mess up all the pictures, now wouldn’t it?  The shepherds didn’t follow a star, the magi did.

          So now that the Christmas story is a total mess for you, let me put it into a perspective of what is important. 

          It takes the whole cast to make the story.  Some of the characters are perceived, some created to fill in the blanks and others were very real.  As our Christmas story was created from nearly a hundred years after its actual occurrence, it was then given nearly two thousand years of simmering before it comes to us today.  Just as all the cast of characters is needed to make the story real and familiar to us, we are all needed here tonight to make this Christmas unique.  There will never be an exact reproduction of those gathered here---some of us will age, some will move on—others will come to join us again next year.

          What is a myth?  It is a product of the imagination.  It is poetry or drama win which those who tell or portray the story themselves participate.  Its function is to uncover in symbolic terms and deeper levels of human life and give us new insights into ourselves and our condition.  It brings up the archetypal figures of the mother and child, shepherds and angels and kings following a star across the desert. 

          And so we have the story of the birth of Jesus.  Some is scriptural, but we have put in a few scenes that we feel MUST have taken place, although there is no scriptural support for this; like conversations of the innkeeper, one of which we will hear in a few minutes.

          Christmas is celebrated once a year.  But like Easter, which we more openly celebrate each week, the spirit of Crhsitmas should be evident throughout the year.  Of course, the Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier had a valid pint when he wrote:

          “The outward symbols disappear

          From him whose inward sight is clear;

          And small must be the choice of days

          To him who fills them all with praise.

          Keep, while you need it, brothers mine

          With honest zeal your Christmas sign;

          But judge not him who every morn

          Feels in his heart the Lord Christ born.”

          Mary and Joseph were alone until shortly after the birth of their son, our Savior, they were visited by shepherds.  Here we have the most unlikely group of people in one shed in history. 

          Mary pondered these things; the gathering of the shepherds at the birth of her son.  After being told that she would give birth and her son would reign over the house of Jacob forever. She might have expected someone other than a group of shepherds to see the one who would lead people.  She had a lot to ponder.

          There has been much attached to the giving of gifts.  In this last thought, I want to plant an idea.  The theology of Christmas for me, this year, is in the lessons I have learned about receiving rather than giving gifts.  My grandmother and mother taught me to say “thank you,” whether you liked the gift or not.  Be polite and tell the giver what a wonderful gift it was, why you like it and it was not necessary to lie; only figure out how you can be polite and still tell the truth.

          Well, my grandmother had a sister-in-law who was difficult, at best, for anyone to like, to say nothing of love.  Our thoughts about her in life were the same as now after her death; may she be more pleasant and happier in heaven than she was on earth.

          My great aunt Ellen gave ties to the men in her family at Christmas; EVERY Christmas.  Those ties were the wide, silk kind with hand-painted pictures on them.  One year I got a light brown tie with a deer painted on it.  At least, I think it was a deer, it had four legs and a head but not much else was distinguishable.  It could have been a dog, or a moose.  My father got a sky-blue tie with a fish painted to look like it was jumping out of the water.  Now you need to know that I was about 10 years old at the time and the tie was longer than I was tall and completely covered my chest.

          I wrote in my obligatory thank-you note:  “Dear Aunt Ellen, Thank you very much for the silk tie.  I wore it to church last Sunday.  Someone worked hard painting the picture onto it.  My father and I enjoy trading ties and I am sure he will enjoy my tie as much as he enjoys his.  Thank you.”   Oh, yes, we had to wear those things at least once.  What I didn’t say was I nearly puked when I opened the box at how ugly it was.  I also failed to tell her that my father and I found that the silk in the ties worked well polishing boots and shoes.

          And so this Christmas, may we be thankful receivers.  May we give thanks for all that God has given us; from the baby in the manger to the food on our tables to the silk ties by your not-so-favorite aunt.  Let us not forget the real story of Christmas whether it be exactly scriptural, or a bit of a myth.  It is the receiving of the greatest gift that God could give us; and may we receive him each day into our lives.

And now this year’s story of the innkeeper:

Many years ago before anti-discrimination laws were in effect, Mrs. Rosenberg was stranded late one night at a fashionable resort on Cape Cod — one that did not admit Jews.

The desk clerk looked down at his book and said, “Sorry, no room. The hotel is full.”

The lady said, “But your sign says that you have vacancies.”

The desk clerk stammered and then said curtly, “You know that we do not admit Jews. Please try the other side of town.”

Mrs. Rosenberg stiffened noticeably and said, “I’ll have you know, I have converted to your religion.”

The desk clerk said, “Oh, yeah, let me give you a little test. How was Jesus born?”

“He was born to a virgin named Mary in a little town called Bethlehem,” she replied.

“Very good,” replied the clerk. “Tell me more.”

“He was born in a manger.”

“That’s right,” said the hotel clerk. “And why was he born in a manger?”

Mrs. Rosenberg said loudly, “Because some idiot behind a hotel desk wouldn’t give a Jewish lady a room for the night! Any more questions?”
“No.”
“Didn’t think so.”  (She got the room.)

     May you have a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with all the hope, peace, love and joy as God may give you in 2007.

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