Does It Matter

Luke 2: 1 – 7

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. 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. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 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 in the inn.

The story of Jesus’ birth is simple. Yet, pages and stories and books and libraries have been written about it in the 20 centuries since then. Many of us know the story by heart, having had to memorize it in Sunday School (the King James Version with all its “thee’s” and “thou’s”).

However you learned it, be like Mary and hold it close to your heart. It matters. If you’re reading this, there’s a huge chance that you follow the child who was born this day so long ago. If you’ve come this far with him during the Advent season, keep walking. He’s here with you. Immanuel: God is with us. Have a blessed and happy day! Amen.

Luke 1: 46 – 55 (The Magnificat of Mary)

Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.

    Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name;

indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him

    from generation to generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm;

    he has scattered the proud in the conceit of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones

    and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things

    and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his child Israel,

    in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Isaiah 40: 1

Comfort, O comfort my people,

    says your God.

Jesus’ life means to us that there is always love and hope. For Christians, we begin with the One Truth: God loves us all, so much that God becomes human and lives among us.

There was a farmer who wasn’t much of a church person, but his wife took the kids regularly to church. One Christmas Eve, a heavy snow began to fall right after they had left to attend the Christmas Eve service. As he sat in his den watching the snow fall, he saw a bird fly into the window: the light had attracted it, and the poor bird was stunned. The farmer went out to get it, but another, then another both did the same thing. The farmer thought that maybe he could get the birds to fly into the barn for shelter, so he grabbed his coat and went out and opened the barn door, but the birds seemed only to see the house and continued their doomed flights into the window. The farmer stood, helpless, as more and more of the poor birds hit the windows of his house. 

He thought, “If only I could become a bird myself, and I could speak their language, they would follow me to safety!”

The church bells began to toll the celebration of the Christ child into the world, “God with us.” Amen.

John 3: 16

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

With only three days until Christmas, let’s remind ourselves of the real reason that we are celebrating. It’s not just any baby who’s being born, you know. The Savior of the world deserves a birthday party, doesn’t he?

So, let’s go ahead and celebrate in our various ways: gift-giving, getting together with family and friends, serving meals to those who won’t have a celebration without us, and many other activities that happen only at this time of the year. 

Some Christian traditions frown on these things, but if I remember the Gospel stories about Jesus, I believe that he was always up for a party (yes, a party – not like those holier-than-thou movies that have an unsmiling Savior always being serious, but those wonderful portraits of a belly-laughing man who lived life to the fullest with his friends and followers). We celebrate because our Savior also loved to celebrate. I think he’d join us, don’t you?

Prayer: Make us truly joyful in the birth of your son, loving God; we pray in his name, amen.

Luke 1: 68 – 79 (The Song of Zechariah, John the Baptizer’s father)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior 

born of the house of his servant, David. 

Through his holy prophets he promised from of old,    

that he would save us from our enemies, 

from the hand of all who hate us.

God promised to show mercy to our ancestors

and has remembered his holy covenant. 

This was the the oath that he swore to Abraham and Sarah,

that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,

might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness

in his presence all the days of our lives.

And you, my child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,  for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. 

In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”   Amen.

Isaiah 40: 3 – 4

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert

a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth….”

When I was a child athlete (sort of), we were taught several things: first, be a good loser; second, be a good winner; third, you’re on a team, and so work together for a win and blame no one person for losses; fourth, don’t rub it in to the losers when you win. Playing sports was not an end in itself: it was a training ground for how to live life. At some point, all that changed. Winning became the only thing. Whether it was in sports, politics, business, whatever: win at all costs, and be sure and let your opponents know you won.

God has a plan: “I’m God, I will win, and you are my beloved, and you’ll win with me.” Every valley gets lifted up, every mountain gets lowered; God does what we humans can’t: sets a level playing field for all. 

Watch out: here comes God!

Prayer: Make your way straight, your valleys exalted, your mountains lowered, gracious God, and let that be a lesson to us about what you want; we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.Prayer: Make your way straight, your valleys exalted, your mountains lowered, gracious God, and let that be a lesson to us about what you want; we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Isaiah 40: 3 – 4

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert

a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth….”

When I was a child athlete (sort of), we were taught several things: first, be a good loser; second, be a good winner; third, you’re on a team, and so work together for a win and blame no one person for losses; fourth, don’t rub it in to the losers when you win. Playing sports was not an end in itself: it was a training ground for how to live life. At some point, all that changed. Winning became the only thing. Whether it was in sports, politics, business, whatever: win at all costs, and be sure and let your opponents know you won.

God has a plan: “I’m God, I will win, and you are my beloved, and you’ll win with me.” Every valley gets lifted up, every mountain gets lowered; God does what we humans can’t: sets a level playing field for all. 

Watch out: here comes God!

Prayer: Make your way straight, your valleys exalted, your mountains lowered, gracious God, and let that be a lesson to us about what you want; we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Philippians 3: 20b – 21

We eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Transformation: everything is at stake with the coming of the Christ-child! If we are walking through Advent with that “We’ve seen it all before and know how it comes out” attitude, then here’s a warning: it ain’t necessarily so!

Jesus doesn’t come to keep the status quo safe and secure. The coming of the Savior, of God’s Messiah, is never a calm and peaceful event. Nations are shattered. The earth trembles. Individuals who were hidden in darkness shine like the sun. And through it all, God chants, “Love, love, love, love.”

God’s love changes everything. Wake up! Here comes the Ruler of Rulers! Nothing remains the same when Jesus is the one who’s coming.

Prayer: Transform us and make us courageous enough to stand with you, God, as you break into human history once again, bringing hope and justice to all, but especially to those who are imprisoned by their fears; this is our prayer in Christ’s name, amen.

Matthew 1: 20

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Joseph has just discovered that Mary is pregnant. We discover a couple of verses before this what kind of man he is: he did not want to expose her to public disgrace, so  he had in mind to divorce her quietly (vs. 19). Although he had every right to make a scene, disgrace her, and leave her to a ruined life, he chose not to do it.

This is the kind of man who influenced God’s child. We may forget Joseph, since only in Matthew and Luke does he play any part of Jesus’ story, but let’s not. Mary is exalted in some traditions, but Joseph proved his worth by honoring his betrothed and seeking to do right by her. After the angel’s visit, he was a faithful and caring husband and, we can only imagine, a great foster-father to our Savior. He’s an example for all of us not to jump to conclusions and to listen to God’s leading.

Prayer: May we, like Joseph, hear you when you speak to us, O God. May we be the kind and generous people that he exemplifies; in your son’s name, amen.

Isaiah 61: 11

For as the soil makes the sprout come up

    and a garden causes seeds to grow,

so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness

    and praise spring up before all nations.

This chapter of Isaiah got Jesus in trouble at home in Nazareth: he read the first verses during worship and said, “Today, this has been fulfilled in front of you.” Oh, my.

We’ll leave that alone to look at the last verse of the chapter, our reading today. The One Who Comes is going to witness not just to Jews, but to all nations. The One we celebrate this Advent is more than just “my” Savior: he is for everyone in all places and times, and he will make right what is wrong and cause us to sing thanks and praise to God.

Christianity forgets, sometimes, that we are not the enemy of the world, but the witnesses to the good God wants to do for everyone. Jesus proclaimed this message. It didn’t go well. We are still telling it from the mountains, over the hills, and everywhere. Jesus Christ is born, and nothing stays the same!

Prayer: Make us faithful to the message of your son, not just at Advent, but every day of our lives; in his name, amen.

Psalm 41: 1

Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;

    the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.

Throughout the Bible, the message is clear: God wants us to look after those who cannot look after themselves. Human strength is not the point of life; care and love for the marginalized is!

This is a difficult message to hear. Our culture likes the strong, the heroic, the loud, the brash, the wealthy, the winner; yet our faith goes in the opposite direction, choosing rather the broken, the failures, the poor, the rejected.

Interestingly, polls continue to show that overall, Americans like to root for the underdog! Maybe it just goes to show that some of the Christian spirit occasionally breaks through and shines some hope into an otherwise bleak landscape. If we could only translate that into a sincere love for those on the sidelines of life!

Prayer: O God, let us never forget that you call us to care for those no one else cares about, including a poor father and mother and their baby, born in the worst of conditions! We pray in his name, amen.