Luke 2: 1-20
The Nativity of our Lord / Year C
24/25 December 2006
The Church of the Good Shepherd
Wareham, Massachusetts
Preached by the Rev. David Fredrickson
How many times have you heard this wonderful Christmas story from Luke chapter 2? How many times have you heard about Mary and Joseph’s trek into Bethlehem and their struggle to find a room in the inn? How many times have you heard about the simple shepherds watching over their flocks by night and the appearance of the angel bringing them good news of great joy for all the people? How many times have you heard about these same shepherds going to see for themselves what was happening and finding Mary and Joseph admiring their newborn son lying in the hay wrapped in swaddling cloths and surrounded by animals?
How many times have you seen this story portrayed on Christmas cards, on your neighbor’s front lawn, or perhaps in your own living room? This year there is even a blockbuster Hollywood production of the nativity story. The story of Christ’s birth is a lot like the furniture, it is soft and comfortable. In fact, when it comes to thinking about this wonderful Christmas season, suddenly everything becomes comforting and sweet. Christmas drowns in nostalgia, carols, candles, and happy children in the warm firelight. Clement C. Moore’s The Night Before Christmas seems to capture it all.
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse; the stocking were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; and mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled down for a long winter's nap, when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, when, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, with a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
Doesn’t this story just conjure up the most wonderful images? The story of Christ’s birth is a lot like the furniture, it is soft and comfortable, yet so familiar that it is utterly forgettable. Next week at this time we will most likely have packed away our nativity scenes and our Christmas trees and lights just in time to ring in the New Year with dancing and champagne.
Even though the Christmas story is such a familiar one, it really couldn’t be more foreign. It seems odd, but for us Christmas is a dream, an escape, but the Christmas in the gospel accounts was not a dream, but a rather sobering slice of reality. There was a massacre of innocent children, political intrigue, lies, deceit, fear, with Joseph, Mary and Jesus just barely escaping with their lives as political refugees in an unwelcoming world. The world our Lord was born into was a shockingly bad one, where kings raged and wickedness flourished, where babies were murdered and countries who thought of themselves as the most civilized in the world made and sold weapons to the countries they regarded as uncivilized, in order to create war.
Where is your hope?
Place to look is to ask, where are your fears?
People really don’t believe in Jesus / examples.
Why is it so hard to believe?
