|
First
Reading
|
Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Isaiah 9:2–7
|
|
Titus 2:11–14 |
Luke 2:1-20 |
Whom have we come to the stable to see? What do we make of the shepherds, the angels, the innkeeper, Herod, and all that make up the cast that comprise the traditional script, year after year?
Something of ourselves is reflected back by them, albeit in different ways and pregnant with virtually inexhaustible meaning. Sometimes we seem to be like the innkeeper and presumably many of the townspeople of Bethlehem who appear oblivious to this great event in their own back yard. Too busy? Too stressed? Perhaps. Denial, the great enabler of busyness, helps us hurry on. After all, for many, Christmas will be over the day after tomorrow. Our culture promotes all sorts of aids that help us quickly dismiss its lasting significance. Yet, just because our society approves of certain behavior, doesn’t make it any less toxic for the soul. How often we are tempted to trade the challenge of true life for mere survival and easily getting by.
Herod, Quirinius, and Augustus Caesar are ensconced in their castles and palaces, guarded by soldiers and served by numerous courtiers. They are constantly protective of their position, ever vigilant in snuffing out threats to their power, suspicious and dismissive of any new birth, alternative reality, and wider vision. Of course their castles also isolate and imprison them. Their existence is governed constantly by fear. The best they can do is seek to play it safe. We may not live in stone fortresses, but fear is one of the hallmarks of our age. No wonder we live in a polarized society. It is difficult to live in any sort of community when we are all so jealous of losing any of our power. Signs of treachery and rage still afflict the innocent. When we are threatened, do we ever see any such signs in ourselves?
The shepherds are the perennial favorite in our hearts. After all, let’s admit it, we all first started in Sunday School pageants as shepherds. The shepherds, however, are a prime definition of a motley crew. Some were outcasts of one sort or another, kicked out of their family or village, banished to the margins, with no permanent home, going from place to place forever. Others were on the run from who knows what. Yet they came to the stable, some out of curiosity, others undoubtedly moved by a promise of healing. The message of the angels was a welcome sign of warmth and compassion, after suffering and being out in the cold too long.
Was it the shepherds who were blessed by an announcement from a choir of angels or was the choir of angels blessed by the shepherds because it was only shepherds who heeded their song? To how many other fields on this earth did the angels travel? Did knowing so well of their own pain and emptiness help the shepherds overcome their pride so that they were responsive to the angels’ news? Do the shepherds represent people who have so little to lose and protect that they become especially open to expressions of God’s grace among us? Does the icy covering of our cynicism and mistrust need to melt before we can get up and go to Bethlehem?
Mary and Joseph are probably very young parents by our standards, and yet shelter such a great promise. They have let God guide them by an incredible message. At the same time they are very vulnerable and know the future awaits with scant promise of security. They are those who live in hope. They are willing to undertake strenuous journeys and undertake unbelievable tasks. Often they are more like refugees than established citizens. We see their faces reflected on those who continue to work in the 7th Ward of New Orleans, teachers and counselors who don’t give up on troubled teenagers, single parents and grandparents who generously sacrifice in hope of holding several generations together. How do we participate and support in Mary and Joseph’s legacy of great promise?
Again the question confronts us. What do we come to the stable to see? What is reflected back to us? How are we part of the story? Do we come here and see a new birth among us that will stand over against the walls of our fear? Do we come here hoping to glimpse the possibility of a new star guiding our future? Do we seek a spirit of courage and trust incubating inside our heart? I hope so; I hope it for all of us. That’s why we sing on this day earth shall ring, joy to the world, the Lord is come, and why all the hopes and fears of all the years are met right here, tonight.
And I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.
