Dec. 16/17 The
Advent Conspiracy: Give More
Matthew 1: 18-25
We’ve been spending our weeks
leading up to Christmas in a series called The Advent Conspiracy, where we’ve
been asking the question, “Can Christmas still change the world? And our answer
is “Yes!” You see, if we trade in our consumption for compassion and learn some
new habits, I believe we can experience Christmas like never before. So far in
this series we’ve explored how we can worship fully and spend less. Today, we
learn how we can give more.
Have you ever tried to explain the
meaning of Christmas to a child? It’s a tall task. Our kids have to be awfully
confused in today’s culture, what with all the Ho, Ho, Ho’s and snowmen. And
even if we want to shield our little ones from wrong impressions, we’re facing
an uphill battle. When Reagan was born, Joanna and I made the decision that we
weren’t going to focus on Santa. Santa just wasn’t going to be a frequent conversation
piece in our house. Not that we had anything against the idea, we just weren’t
going to allow Santa to become a focus. But we simply couldn’t compete with the
rest of our family and friends and school parties. I finally threw up my hands
after hearing another well-meaning adult ask, “And what is Santa going to bring
you this year?” In the end, we simply had to conclude that we better be awfully
good at telling our kids the true story of Christmas.
You know, one way we can celebrate
Christmas differently is to tell the actual story. You might think it’s a story
that’s well known, but I think most of us would be surprised at how little
today’s culture knows about Jesus. I have a feeling that our kids probably know
more about the North Pole than Bethlehem. But there is good news! The story of
Jesus sounds a whole lot more believable than the other stories that fill up
our movies and songs. So one of the ways we can give more this Christmas is to
become good at telling others about the birth of the Savior.
The story begins on a dark note, in
a nation filled with a history of ups and downs. Israel has been enslaved by
other countries and robbed of their dignity and independence for a good portion
of their existence. First it was Egypt, then Babylon, now it is Rome. And the
Jewish people are waiting…waiting for God to move, waiting for hope to break
through, waiting for new life to enter their troubled world. And little do they
know that everything they’re waiting for is beginning to take shape in a little
known couple from Nazareth.
Joseph and Mary go down in history
as one of the most important couples in the world, but their story began in
relative obscurity. They were an average couple, pledged to be married, which
was a little more serious than an engagement. They had not consummated their
relationship with sexual activity, and so you can imagine the shock when Joseph
hears the news that Mary is pregnant. In that single moment, he could’ve ruined
her life. This was grounds for some pretty severe punishment and a strong smear
campaign, but instead, Joseph takes a different approach: he’ll divorce her
quietly. And so we begin to see that the Christmas story begins in the
messiness of a plan for divorce. There’s something real and gritty about this
story that sounds a lot like the world we know. This sounds like a story that
could easily happen today.
As the story continues, Joseph’s
life is interrupted again, this time by an angel that gives him a new
perspective. This baby is not the result of unfaithfulness; this is not the
adulterous affair of a man who can’t keep his hands off a vulnerable woman; no,
this is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the baby conceived in Mary is the one all
of Israel has been waiting for. The angel says that baby shall be called Jesus,
and he will save the people from their sins. And although he probably didn’t
realize the full reality of this announcement, Joseph understands that
something out-of-the-ordinary is happening here. This baby will be
God-in-the-flesh. This baby will be God’s grandest revelation of love and
presence in a dark and lonely world.
Now, in the past, God spoke to
creation in many ways, but his loudest proclamation was this moment, the gift
of his son. This baby is God with us. The Gospel of John puts it this way: The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.”
Not some distant God, not a God who exists only in stories on paper, not a
God of history, but God with us. That’s a phenomenal thought that deserves our
serious attention. Cheryl Lawrie, a disciple from Australia, has thought long
and hard about the ramifications of such good news. She put her reflections in
a poem. I’d like to read it for you: We
are tempted to think that this is out of character for you, a momentary
fragility showing your tender side; that once the Christmas carols are finished
and the decorations are put away, you’ll get back to power and might. But in
your completeness—this one chance we get to see flesh and bone put onto the
theory – this is you; fragile, impossibly vulnerable, and at the mercy of human
response. (Poem taken from The Advent Conspiracy Sermon Notes).
Come to think of it, that’s a pretty startling
revelation. God doesn’t come to us in power and might and with thunder and
lightning; he comes to us in the vulnerable form of a baby who is completely at
the mercy of frail and broken human beings, an innocent child held in the arms
of a young woman and her husband. That’s
the Christmas story. That’s the
gritty, no-nonsense story that should have us on our knees in worship. Not
a gift under a tree; not a toy shop at the North Pole, not a magic hat that
causes snowmen to come alive; but the wonder-invoking truth that God, in the
flesh, has come to be with us. And in this story, God answers one of the
questions that lingers deeply within each us- Are you with me, God?
Are you with me when I get the news
I don’t want to get? Are you with me when my hopes have been dashed? Are you
with me when things seem to fall off the rails? Are you with me when I can’t
sleep at night? Are you with me when my loved one is no longer here? Are you
with me when I can’t seem to get ahead? God, are you with me? And somewhere,
testimonies of a young, scared couple named Mary and Joseph whisper into our
souls, “Yes, God is with you.”
It’s hard to explain the
transformation that takes places when you realize that God has fully given
himself to you, and he’s held nothing back. There’s something simple, yet
powerful when you experience the fullness of someone’s presence in your life.
Mary’s fear was eclipsed by joyful song and meditation. Joseph’s thoughts of
divorce quickly evaporated into a deep commitment to God’s plans. Peter, James
and John left their boats to follow. Paul traded in his hatred for love. You
can’t buy that type of transformation with money, nor do you find it wrapped
neatly under a tree; that type of change happens only when you are fully
present with others.
I struggled emotionally during my
first few months of of college. I was at homesick. There was no place on earth
like my home. And so every weekend, my dad would drive to Slippery Rock and
pick me up. It wasn’t because I had important work to do or big plans; it was
mostly because I wanted to be with my family. Those years were some of the most
meaningful years of my life, and I wouldn’t trade those years for anything
because they satisfied a deep longing in my soul. And the only thing it cost
was gas.
And so when it comes to Christmas,
we learn from God that one of the best gifts we can give is our presence. To be
with someone, in the midst of their joys and sorrows, is a gift that blesses,
transforms, renews, strengthens and comforts. It’s a gift that says, “I see
you. You are not alone. And you don’t have to carry this burden by yourself.” Bishop
Joe Pennel writes of a time when he experienced this gift from a parishioner.
Listen to his story, “At the age of two,
our youngest daughter had surgery. The surgery was not classified as serious,
but it was formidable for her mother and me. While she was in surgery, I looked
across the hospital room and saw Travis, a member of a former congregation… He
had driven 125 miles to see us. When our eyes met, he said, ‘I just came to be
with you.’ The tone of his voice brought comfort to us although he did not talk
much. He showed his love for us by simply being present…His physical presence
brought a comforting presence that embodied love for us.”[1]
That’s what it means to give more. A
physical presence that brings an inward comforting presence that would not
otherwise be known. That’s the gift of Christmas -- embodied love. So let me
ask you something? If you can bring warmth, joy and comfort to others simply by
being present with them, then why not do it? Maybe this Christmas, it’s time to
stop thinking about calling up that person for a visit and just do it. Maybe
this Christmas, it’s time to put down the phones, the ipads and the technology
and pay attention. Maybe this Christmas, it’s time to slow down and give more
of you. Money can’t buy the difference you want to make. No tangible item can
impact your loved one the way you want it to. Only your presence can do that.
And I think Jesus will tell you it’s good for the soul. So this Christmas,
however you choose to do it, worship fully, spend less and give more—of you! Amen.
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