The Christmas Story

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC on 12/23/18

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^NRS 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 25^th. 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 25^th? 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!

Why Bethlehem

Sermon given at Sydenstricker UMC on 12/16/18

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^NRS Micah 5:1 Now you are walled around with a wall; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel upon the cheek. ² But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

 ³ Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has brought forth; then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.⁴ And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; ⁵ and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers.

Today we celebrate the third weekend of Advent, the weekend when we light the pink candle, often known as Mary’s candle or the candle of joy. On this day we focus on the joy of the birth of Jesus Christ and why that joy sustains us through all of the times of trial and tribulation that we encounter in our lives. The question that I want to ask you today as we focus on the upcoming birth of Christ is, “Why Bethlehem?” Of all of the places for the child of God to be born, why some small insignificant town on the outskirts of Jerusalem? Why of all of the places that He could be born, why in a manger, the feeding trough of animals? These are serious questions for a serious discussion as we encounter Christ in the world of humankind. I say it to you that way because we must focus on the fact that Jesus birth signifies an opportunity to meet our God on a human plane.

Let us begin by describing the city of Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Bethlehem sits in the hill country of Judah and is considered to be the birthplace of Christianity. What we also know about the city of Bethlehem helps explain our theological question, why Bethlehem. In Hebrew Bethlehem means, “house of bread” and in the original Aramaic means, “house of meat’. Some might regard these terms as contradictory and yet both terms signify nourishment and sustenance of the body. Bethlehem is also known as the city of David. It is here that Rachel and Ruth of the Old Testament are buried. Now there is significance in that statement, the place that Rachel and Ruth are buried. For it is from Rachel that we receive the lineage that brings Apostle Paul into the world through the heritage of Benjamin and it is through the lineage of Ruth and Boaz and the tribe of Judah that we receive Jesse and then David and then ultimately Jesus. For us to discount the significance of this city just on the basis of its size and position might well lead us to forget its history. We cannot stop there. For Bethlehem is the place that Samuel anointed David king by the well of Bethlehem where David was nourished during his long struggle with King Saul. This small town on the outskirts of the city of Jerusalem has a history that leads us ultimately to the birth of Jesus. By the way, did I forget to mention that David was also born here? Now to me that becomes significant because it is David whom God promised that his heir would come to rule the world. 

Now let us dwell into another aspect of the city of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in the hilly country just outside of Jerusalem and is noted for the many caves that surround the city. What is unique about some of these caves is that they became the holding pens for animals. It was the norm for the inhabitants of the city to keep their animals in the various caves around the city. Here they could be protected and secured in a safe place where they could be fed and sheltered. Bethlehem even though it had a wonderful history, was a small community of people. It was not the major shipping port or major government center like some of the cities to the east and north of Bethlehem, but can be described as a sleepy little town about 5 miles outside of Jerusalem.

Historically, we know that Jesus lived in this area even if there is argument about His ministry, miracles and healings. In fact we know that around 150 AD, St. Justin the Martyr referred to Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus in one of those little caves where animals were kept. Origen, one of the founding fathers of written Christian history writes that in Bethlehem in a cave, Jesus was born in a manger and place in swaddling clothes.

So this tradition of the Christmas story is based on information gleaned at the earliest of times in the life of the Christian church. That is significant to us when asked how we can believe that this story is true. It comes to us from early written records that tell us of its truth. Before men could invent it, it was already a part of the historical record. Indeed the church, St. Mary of the Nativity, stands over the top of the cave where Jesus is said to have been born. Originally built in 527 AD, this church is placed at the birthplace of Jesus. Now it seems to me, that if history records the birth in a place and the written record comes to us through the centuries, then we ought to have faith in its authenticity. I also think that we need to focus again on the significance of it being the place of David’s birth and also a place where the common people lived in the social economic strata of life. It was not the place of rulers and kings, but rather the place of normal everyday people like you and I.

Finally, while we focus on the place, we must also focus on the why. God does what God says God is going to do. Not one single piece of prophecy has been found to be false. Some have not happened yet. Unlike all of our modern day prophets, God’s prophecy is always correct. This brings us to our text today and the point of it. Micah means literally, “who is like Yahweh” and the prophet Micah lived between 750 BC to about 686 B.C. This prophecy comes to us maybe 700 years before the birth of Christ as a promise from God to the Jewish people. You O Bethlehem, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel. Now hear these words carefully, he goes on to say, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

Now in the Old Testament text, when the ancient days were used, this language indicates we are talking about heaven before the earth was formed. We get the immediate sense that he who comes will not be of this world in the sense that you and I are. Furthermore, he will be born in the home of one of the twelve tribes of Jacob, specifically the tribe of Judah. Now some theologians would argue that Judah here is the Judah we know as Israel and yet, when Micah was writing his prophecy, the twelve tribes were never referred to except by their own identification. It is only in modern times that Judah has taken on the meaning of all of Israel.

What we know from the prophecy is that one from ancient times, from heaven before the earth is formed, will come to rule Israel and He will come to Bethlehem through the tribe of Judah. We know that Boaz and Ruth had a son, Jesse. Jesse had a son David. In that lineage then comes the man we know as Jesus.  Now the rest of the written word also tells us something about the event and then about what it is that this child will accomplish and be. When the woman gives birth tells us that this child will be human and then in the interpretation of the original Hebrew, we find the masculine pronoun, he used.

We know that this child will be a male and that he will be born in Bethlehem to the lineage of David. This man will reunite the kindred, feeding the flock in the strength of God and he shall be the one of peace. For those who may still not believe, let me ask you a question? What was the preaching of Jesus all about if not how to enter into a relationship with God and about achieving peace in your lifetime? Does this passage not give you a sense that God had a purpose for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem? With all of its history and significance, here is where it was supposed to happen.

God told us where he would be born, history tells us he was born there so what is so unacceptable about the story that you cannot believe? When God speaks, it is to tell us what God’s intentions are and to make known what God is doing in the world. Seven hundred years before Jesus is born, God through Micah tells us the place, who the person is and what he comes to do.

As we prepare for the coming celebration, realize that you have a choice today. You can stand on the sidelines looking in and questioning the authenticity of the story, or you can realize that God spoke; history happened, and join the rest of us on the inside. Christ came to make peace with the world and to reignite a relationship with God. He came for the kindred of God who are the kindred of Noah. That includes every member of the community called the earth. Don’t wait until it’s too late to begin to realize that God wants to be in relationship with you.

So what is going on?

So I have not been posting in a while. Some of that is simply you get out of the rhythm of doing things, some the busyness of my schedule and some of it the reduced number of people who actually view the blog. Of course I could respond to more relevant issues and challenges daily rather than just posting my sermons and maybe I should. Give me some feedback so I know that one, you are out there watching and listening and two, what kind of things can we talk about.