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Luke 2:1 In those days a decree
went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2
This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of
Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4
Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of
David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of
David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged
and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time
came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her
firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger,
because there was no place for them in the inn. 8 In that region
there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by
night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory
of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the
angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good
news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in
the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This
will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and
lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14
"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom
he favors!" 15 When the angels had left them and gone into
heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and
see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child
lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had
been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed
at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these
words and pondered them in her heart.
Reverend Henry E. Riley Jr. was a great
orator, a great mentor and a great friend. At one time almost every ordained
minister in the Virginia Annual Conference had had some kind of conversation or
been influenced by him. His life until the very end was spent preaching and
teaching the message of Jesus. He was a tall man and when he came into a room
you felt his presence. He is the reason I am here. He once told me, Don, if you
cannot do anything else in life, then preach. I thought what a silly thing to
say. But I learned when God calls you, you cannot do anything else. This is
what you are called to do. Henry died
this week. He is receiving his heavenly reward for a job well done for a long
time. I cannot imagine a better time for him to go home than the time of year
when we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Christ for whom Henry lived.
My good friend Rose Mott, 103 is in
serious condition as I give this message. She is in the hospital in critical
condition with pneumonia. I talked with her the other day and she said she was
ready to go home. Rose has endured much. She saw her husband die in a tragic
tractor accident. She lost her child to murder. She broke her ankle severely
several years ago and laid all night alone, in the dark, because she did not
want to bother anyone. She endures. And yet, she became a great inspiration to
me throughout the five years I served Grace UMC on the Eastern Shore.
Regardless of adversity she was a familiar face every Sunday morning. She
shared her faith with anyone that would listen.
You may wonder why I started a Christmas
sermon this way. Christmas is the day when we celebrate the birth of a child.
Not any child. A special child. Now we know that Jesus was not born on December
25th. In fact, he was likely born in early to mid-spring of the year
and we have several historical facts that point in that direction. So why
December 25th? Maybe because it made sense to the early Christian
church to celebrate the birth of the light of the world during the darkest time
in the world. Maybe because it made sense to argue that Jesus birth celebration
date was not as important as celebrating it and we already celebrate death and
resurrection in the spring. Who knows? What we do know is that Christmas is a
time of celebration of something significant. Henry and Rose are significant to
me. Their lives interweaved with mine in a way that changed me to become the
person I am today. How many of you have people or events that when you think of
them, instantly return you to an earlier time?
I talked last week about Bethlehem and
why the birth was in that small insignificant little town outside of Jerusalem.
What is God doing? Jesus birth was to a moment in time that is meant to be
remembered, not for the when, but the why. Jesus birth is a moment in time when
God looked on the world and determined that it needed an intervention. The
world had forgotten how to love. The world had forgotten how to have
relationship with God and one another so God decided that the world needed to
be changed. God changes us through people and events that happen in our lives
at significant moments in time. When walk through those moments and come out on
the other side different. Jesus birth is one of the moments for the whole
world. When Jesus came into the world, the thirty-three year journey would
change it in ways that the world could not even imagine. No one person has ever
had the impact on the world that Jesus did.
I want us to imagine for a moment what
the world would be like if Jesus had not come. We already fight commercialism
and political polarization not just within a country but also throughout the
world. We already deal with hate and war. What would it be like if there was no
Jesus? If there was no love in the world to counter those feelings? What would
the world look like if there were no churches, no sanctuaries from the evil of
the world where at least one day for one hour we can come and feel better, feel
safer and feel loved? Christmas is not just a celebration of the birth of Jesus
but a time when we can experience God closer, more accessible, more loving than
any time of the year.
I know, many are saying that Christmas
is no longer about God or Jesus but about Santa and presents and on and on. But
it is because we allow it to be. Henry would often say significant things to
me. One of them was that if every weekend I am not causing someone to be
uncomfortable I am not doing my job. If I am not speaking the truth of God from
the pulpit in such a way that you are feeling a little discomfort, then I am
not speaking truth. One District Superintendent told me that we as Pastors
should not make waves in our churches. Henry said those waves should be
tsunamis. God is speaking to us through the celebration of Christmas.
A speaker the other day suggested that
if every commercial had Jesus in it, the world would be very different. If
every time we are bombarded with the newest electronics, the newest toy, or the
newest vehicle we also were presented with the love of Jesus, the world would
be very different. I believe with all my heart that is the message of
Christmas. Every time I see a Christmas tree, hear Christmas Carols, see people
smiling, I feel the presence of Jesus. God has it right! God directed the early
Christian movement to place this holiday smack in the middle of winter. Winter
that time when depression is at it highest, the sun at its lowest, at least in
the northern hemisphere and people are dreaming for something better. More
warmth, more sun, more daylight! So God decided that the world needed a
significant event to celebrate in that moment to remind us of the depth of
God’s love.
I love the scripture that says that Mary
treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. She had just given
birth to the Son of God. She had done that in a smelly stable with animals all
around. Childbirth is not easy nor is it romantic is it ladies? The birth at
the end makes it all worthwhile and seeing that baby for the first time, well
that is a life-changing event. God wants us to celebrate loving God and one
another and the best way to do that is set apart a special time of year. Why
not in the middle of winter after all. So why did I start this with Henry and
Rose? Because I want you to reflect on the things, the people and the events in
your life that made you. I want you to spend some time in the next few days
reflecting on who you are and why you are. Then, I want each of us to reflect
on what Christmas means to us. What is God trying to focus our attention on and
who are we supposed to be as Christmas people? Then, let us intentionally walk
a journey together with God in the lead, God in our hearts and that little baby
Jesus helping to make us better.
Merry Christmas!
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